


Good Morning!

by orochiis



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: House sharing, Modern AU, Multi, everyone is a doctor nearly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 23:18:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 44,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10372062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orochiis/pseuds/orochiis
Summary: With the political situation at home in Plegia and here in Ylisse heightening, Robin needs to find some way to take her mind off everything that's going on. And that's where Lon'qu comes in- moving from Ferox straight into the home she shares with Tharja and Henry.





	1. Chapter 1

"I don't see why we even had to pick someone. Why can't it stay just us?"

"Because we won't have enough money for rent then."

"And?"

"And then we'll die."

"Who's dying?"

"No one."

"They're not _that_ bad, Tharja."

"Why don't you pick someone then?" The dark haired woman sighed, picking at her nails rather than making eye contact with either of the other two.

"I don't want to bear the sole responsibility for picking someone bad!" Robin said, waving her hands in front of her face.

"You have excellent taste in me, as we all know, so why don't you-" Tharja teased, but Robin effectively cut her off with a glare.

Henry sighed, ignoring the girls bickering. He scooped up all the applications they had received in the mail before their deadline and stuck them up on the wall. He pondered over them. None of them particularly looked like a serial killer, which was always a good start. There was almost an even split of boys and girls, though if he was being honest he would rather have another male. He had been surrounded by women for so long- both Robin and Tharja had left Plegia with him and their last roommate, Maribelle, had only moved out because she was getting married.

It was technically her house, but she promised to rent it out to them as another source of income. She had bought the house outright- a large semi detached house in the suburbs of Ylisstol was expensive, but she was born into a rich family and had the money to buy a four bedroom house as soon as she left university. But none of the remaining occupants were complaining- it meant they weren't out on their ear, left to wander the streets of the capital until they found somewhere else. And of course, Maribelle still dropped by with fancy homemade cakes every now and again.

"Henry, do you have any valuable insight into these potential house mates?" Robin asked, and the white haired man turned to face her with a shrug.

"I think they'd all be okay, honestly. After thinking on it, I reckon none of them are serial killers, none of them seem to have a particularly shady back-story and definitely none of them are from Plegia."

"Helpful," Tharja drawled. "We need to pick so they can get moved in by the end of the month. I am not paying extra for rent because I pay most of the food bill."

"Well, I pay for petrol and car insurance and I drive both of you everywhere-" Robin protested.

"But you're the best paid out of all of us."

"I'm pretty sure that Henry gets more money than me."

"Hence why I pay all the bills."

"Well then, you've proved my point. We need to pick someone tonight," Tharja sighed.

"I like the girl three in on the left," Robin suggested, pointing at the picture Henry had stuck up. "She's a vet."

"No offence, but I don't want another girl. You are too much to deal with already and Maribelle was even worse."

"That's fair," Tharja shrugged.

"Take down all the girl's pictures then," Robin suggested, and Henry jumped up to rip the pages down. He tossed them carelessly in the recycling, and they fluttered to the bottom like snowflakes.

"What now?"

"No dentists," Tharja demanded, and Henry took down another picture. Robin sighed into her tea- he was the most interesting in terms of hobbies in her mind. He liked Shakespeare and poetry and history; all things she took a great interest in.

"Anything else?" Henry asked, but when the two girls still came up blank, he sighed, throwing himself onto the sofa and lifting his coffee from the small glass table in the centre of the room.

"I've got it," Tharja said suddenly.

"You've picked someone?" Robin asked, watching the woman as she got up. But instead of walking towards the pictures, she went outside, rattling about in the shed for a good ten minutes while Robin and Henry looked at each other in confusion. She came back with a red dart from the dartboard Henry had insisted on taking from Plegia curled in her fingers. She sat directly opposite the pictures, closed her eyes tight and threw it, the tip piercing through the forehead of one applicant.

"I still don't understand why you made them send in pictures," Robin commented as Tharja took the page down from the wall. "Especially if you were going to do something like that."

"I don't want to live with someone with a neck beard," she smirked, glancing over her victim's page. "And besides, I didn't know I would head shot him."

There was a sudden knock at the door and Henry shot up to answer it. Tharja took her seat again and Robin scooted over beside her, looking at the picture of the person Tharja's dart had chosen. Aside from the hole in his forehead, he was relatively attractive, and Robin could already see Tharja eyeing him up.

"Lon'qu," Tharja mused.

"I think it's pronounced more like 'Lon' _qu_ ," Robin corrected, and Tharja raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, more like a 'coo'?"

"Why are you guys making pigeon sounds?" Henry asked, returning to the living room with Maribelle behind him carrying a large pastry box.

"We're trying to pronounce this guy's name."

"It's a Chon'sin name by the sounds of things," Maribelle said, seating herself in her old seat which Robin had since claimed for her legs.

"Of course you would know," Tharja said, rolling her eyes.

"I think Robin was right. But anyway, I brought cinnamon swirls. They're a bit wonky, but they'll do."

"Are you giving up being a magistrate to become a pastry chef?" Henry joked, and she rolled her eyes.

"Heavens, no. Anyway, I'm just dropping in to let you know your rent is due at the end of next week and if you don't have a new roommate by then you'll just have to make up the money yourselves." She was gone almost as soon as she arrived, and Tharja threw the page down on the table, rolling her eyes at the empty space where Maribelle was a few seconds earlier.

"Call him." Henry disappeared into the kitchen with his phone to his ear, shutting the door closed behind him.

Robin lifted the page, scanning over the information. He hadn't listed an occupation, only _'unemployed, but I have five job interviews this week'_. If Maribelle reckoned his name was Chon'sinese, he was probably an immigrant like themselves. The least they could do was give him a place to stay while he got himself sorted in the city. He had only written various forms of exercise and cooking in his hobbies section, so there was no hope of her having any conversations about Fine Art or ancient poetry. She sighed, putting the page pack down on the table. Tharja had turned on the TV to the news, and Robin settled into the corner of the sofa, trying to drown out the sound of the Plegian election.

* * *

Robin's love life was miserable. She was twenty six, almost twenty seven and she had never in her life had a steady boyfriend. She had no shortage of dates, but getting a second date was unlikely, and a third next to impossible. But tonight, she thought, would be different. She had bumped into a guy in a coffee shop a few weeks ago and they had finally organised their schedules to have a date. It was classy- after all, what could you expect from a paramedic and a lawyer?

His name was Chrom, and she had literally bumped into him while collecting her cappuccino before her shift on that fateful Wednesday. He was a good head taller than her, and he had beautiful blue hair that framed his face. She had practically fallen in love with him there and then, and after a short conversation in which she discovered he seemed to share her feelings they exchanged phone numbers and had spent the last few weeks talking almost constantly. She felt like a teenager again, and that scared her- she wasn't used to feelings like this.

She tried her very best to look presentable that evening. Makeup and clothes weren't her forte at all. She had a large wardrobe of clothes, but none of them were right for this sort of occasion. Often those who Robin dated weren't interested in her looks, more her brain or if she was unlucky, her money. But Chrom was different, so she had to be attractive in every way possible. Her wardrobe looked particularly uninviting this time, but she found the red dress she had worn to her graduation to be a suitable choice of outfit. It was knee length and floaty, the perfect sort of attire for a first date in a restaurant such as the one Chrom had chosen.

With her makeup done, a light gold eye shadow and red lipstick, a bag slung over her shoulder and heels that she already deemed uncomfortable, Robin was ready to go. She ran downstairs a few minutes before Chrom was due to arrive to pick her up and posed in the door way for Tharja to judge her. She held a thumb up, nodding slowly. The dark haired woman often played Robin's wing woman, despite the other girl knowing of her strong feelings for her. Tharja had stopped caring for Robin as much in the past few years, knowing that she would never return the feelings she held.

"What do you think?"

"You should do something with your hair. Aside from that it looks great. Very good for a dinner with the most boring person I've ever heard of."

"Hey," Robin protested, twirling her white hair around her fingers as she braided it over her shoulder. "He seems lovely."

"Just you wait; you'll come back from this date hating him. I swear, lawyers are boring! Don't you remember that one I dated back in Plegia?"

"She was weird, though. She tucked her jumper into her skirt."

"Well, maybe she was an outlier. Still, I don't reckon this will go well. Maybe you should prove me wrong and bring him home," Tharja smirked, curling up more into the corner of the sofa.

"He's not like that," Robin protested, feeling her face heat up.

"Is that not sort of what you're looking for?"

"Tharja!"

"Well?"

"If I find someone to get married to, then I won't need to have one night stands anymore, will I?"

"Are you thinking about marrying him already? Gods, Robin, this is your first date! Well, tell him he can pay rent."

Luckily for Robin, there came a sharp knock at the door, and as she picked up her bag, Tharja darted around her and got to the door first, opening it with a sweet smile on her face. Robin was almost reluctant to follow her, knowing that she would walk into either an awkward silence or Tharja telling Chrom things about her she didn't want him to know. And the gods forbid she started talking about the one night stands! Robin scuttled into the hall, almost tripping on her heels as she desperately tried to put an end to the conversation that she imagined was happening. In fact, Tharja was just telling him that she would just be a moment, practically hidden behind the door. Chrom's face lit up when he saw her, and she smiled brightly as she made her way towards him.

"Good evening," he said, and Robin glared at Tharja when the dark haired girl had to stifle a snort.

"Hi," she breathed. There was a moment of magic then, and she could feel her heart speeding up as she gazed at him. He was just as attractive as she remembered, his suit a tight fit to him. They went towards his car, parked in the quiet street outside, and Tharja shut the door, following them with her eyes until they were long out of sight.

They drove in relative silence- Robin always found it strange to talk in the car, and hated it personally when someone was talking incessantly when she was behind the wheel. Chrom had some sort of soft classical music on, which raised her hopes of him being into the same sort of arts that she was. Her hopes were quickly dashed when she realised it was merely a 'best of' classical CD, one she knew Tharja had bought for the house to appease her. Oh well, she thought, at least she still had some more topics of conversation.

Robin had never met anyone that acted as much of a gentleman as Chrom had. When they arrived outside the restaurant, he parked the car then hopped out to open the door for her. He had booked a table tucked away in the back corner of the restaurant and as they took their seats, he called a waiter over to take her coat. It was a lot classier than she imagined, with plush velvet seats and gold gilt legs on the tables. Even with the ambient mood lighting, she felt it was dark, and she had to squint at her menu to decipher it.

"Have you decided what you want?" He asked her, and she glanced up to meet his eyes.

"There's a lot of choice." It was a pathetic answer, really, and stemmed truthfully from her complete unawareness of Ylissian foods.

"Shall I order a bottle of wine?"

"Good idea," she sighed, picking up the menu again. Every now and again she glanced up at him only to see him gazing fondly at her. She set the menu down, smiling at him.

"Have you had a good week? You mentioned you were choosing a new roommate?"

"Oh, yeah. We picked a guy from Chon'sin. He's moving in early next week, I think. How has your week been?"

"It's been good. I got given a big murder case, so that'll keep me occupied for a while."

"Oh, I saw on TV. That guy... Gaius? That seemed like a complicated case to me."

"I don't think it's as complicated as it sounds. I'm not even sure he did it."

"Do you not have some kind of confidentiality clause?" Robin said, a hint of a smirk appearing on her face.

"It's all over the news, I don't think confidentiality really comes into this case."

"I suppose you have a point. I just find it weird to hear people discussing their work in such detail, since in my line of work, there's a ridiculous amount of patient confidentiality."

"Ah yes, Robin the paramedic, right?" Chrom smiled.

"I'm glad you know what job I actually do. Tharja just calls me an ambulance driver. Which, to be fair, I do."

"Well, I made an effort to remember what you did for a job. It'd be rude to turn up and have no idea what the other person did, especially if you've been talking for weeks like we have."

"Are you ready to order?" A waiter asked, appearing beside them with the wine Chrom had previously ordered. He set two glasses down and poured them generously, and Robin had to restrain herself from reaching out for it right away.

"I'll have the trout and baby potatoes," Chrom said, and the waiter nodded, jotting down the order in his book. "Robin?" Chrom prompted, and Robin pointed to the dish she wanted.

"I don't know how to pronounce it," she mumbled, and the waiter nodded again before leaving. "We don't have most of this food where I'm from."

"You're not from Ylisstol?" Chrom asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not even from Ylisse, I'm afraid," she laughed, tucking a stray stand of hair behind her ear. "I'm Plegian, born and raised. Although I kinda disowned my country when I travelled here with my friends. We've been living here for nearly three years."

"Oh."

"Is there something wrong?" Robin asked, fear rising in her chest.

"No! No, not at all. I just assumed you were from here."

"Was the hair not a giveaway?" She teased, trying to make light of what had quickly become an awkward situation.

"I suppose it should've, but I didn't think. It's lovely, by the way. Very unique."

"Us foreigners have a knack for being 'unique' I've been told." This time, she grabbed her wine, sipping it quickly to diffuse the tension. Within moments, her glass was done, and she poured another glass. He was doing his best not to make eye contact with her, and she felt all hopes of Chrom being The One leaving her body as she watched him.

"Do you... enjoy classical music?" She asked, hoping the answer would be yes, yes I do, I love it. "The CD in the car was nice."

"Oh... I find it relaxing to listen to. Not a huge fan, though. I played piano as a child, but I have no interest in it now. Do... do you?"

"I was a talented oboe player once," she laughed. "Not an instrument that most people even know what it is. And my friend Maribelle bought us a piano, so I've been reliving my childhood dreams of being a concert pianist recently."

"You'll have to play for me sometime."

"I will."

"What about other types of music? Any bands you like?"

"I honestly don't know," Robin admitted. "I'm not allowed to play music when I'm driving the ambulance, and when Henry's in the car with me he puts on some strange Valmese heavy metal. There were some obscure Plegian bands I liked back in the day, but none popular enough for you to have heard of." Robin set her glass down and rubbed her forehead. "Gods, back in the day... I sound like such an old person."

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Chrom looked a little nervous at his question, but Robin merely laughed.

"Twenty six."

"I'm twenty eight."

"Almost at the big 3-0."

"Don't start," Chrom laughed."My sister teases me daily about that. She turns up at my house for dinner even though she knows I can't cook."

"How old is she?"

"I have two. Older one is thirty three, younger is twenty five. It's the younger one that annoys me all the time. Lissa, her name is. Seems to constantly be over at my house. She's a teacher but I have no idea when she does any marking since she's always pestering me. Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope. I'm an only child. My mother died when I was pretty young."

"Sorry to bring that up."

"It doesn't bother me," Robin said truthfully, waving a hand. "I barely remember her, so it doesn't really hurt, you get it?"

"I do. I suppose that's the same with my mother too. She died when Lissa was young."

"This is getting a bit too deep for a first date conversation, don't you think?" Robin laughed, nervously sipping her drink again.

"Perhaps. It's usually the conversation topic reserved for when the couple confess their love to each other and then all the dramatic things in their life come out. But I feel like I can talk about this stuff with you."

Ah, there it was. Robin raised an eyebrow over her wine glass. Although they had been talking for a few weeks, this was still their first official date, and for him to say something like that... well, that was just weird. So instead of replying, she laughed awkwardly, and rejoiced when the waiter set her plate of fancy rice down in front of her.

* * *

"I had fun tonight," Chrom said casually on the way home. He had only half drank his glass of wine while Robin had consumed most of the rest of the bottle, so he was still okay to drive.

"It was certainly an interesting date," Robin said.

"Do you want to meet up again? Maybe some time next week?" He suggested sheepishly.

"That'd be cool. Coffee, or something more casual like that?"

"Coffee sounds perfect."

"Coffee it is," Robin confirmed, rubbing her forehead. Her drink induced headache was already beginning to kick in, and she cursed herself for making such a fool of herself in drinking all that wine.

He pulled up outside her house, and she took a moment to collect her thought before moving towards the door. She wasn't the hugest fan of him- he was sweet, alright, but she wasn't sure he was just for her. He was dorky and kind and he meant well, but some of his comments set her slightly on edge, and she wasn't entirely certain that was a good thing. But there was only one way to figure out what her feelings for him truly were, and that was to go on another date.

"Thanks for the lift home. And thanks for paying for dinner. You really didn't need to do that."

"Ah, but I wanted to. I'll call you some time in the next few days to arrange coffee."

"Sounds great."

He was awkwardly waiting for the inevitable goodnight kiss (or at the very least, a hug) without actually wanting to initiate it himself. So instead, she leaned across the gap between the driver's seat and the passenger seat and pressed her lips to his very briefly. That seemed to be enough to satisfy him, as he was grinning when she clambered out of the car. She waved to him as he drove off from inside the hallway, then immediately turned to reapply her lipstick.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She had woken up early with a headache- her hangover had well and truly kicked in. Thankfully for her, she didn't feel nauseous in the slightest, so she could down the coffee without any negative consequences.

"Well?" Tharja asked, passing Robin a cup of coffee, which the white haired woman poured milk into before making herself comfortable on her stool. She had woken up early with a headache- her hangover had well and truly kicked in. Thankfully for her, she didn't feel nauseous in the slightest, so she could down the coffee without any negative consequences.

"What do you mean, well?" Robin retorted, knowing rightly what she meant.

"I want to know how your date with the lawyer went," Tharja clarified, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

"It was okay. Not the best date, but certainly not the worst."

"I told you he would be boring," Tharja smirked. "Did you kiss him?"

"I always do because I feel bad if I don't, and you know it."

"And will you see him again? Wait- I know the answer!"

"I am. Coffee at some point this week."

"Oh, casual."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I'm honestly surprised you're going for the second date. It's unlike you to actually commit to that. And the guys you do want a second date with never seem to want a second date with you."

"Well, you can hardly blame me for that. They just have bad taste."

"And for once, I agree with you," Tharja commented, retrieving the toast that had just popped and presenting it to Robin, who lazily buttered it.

"Why do men not seem to like me?" Robin lamented through a mouthful of toast.

"They seem to like you enough for you to bring them home late at night."

"Hey. I mean, why can't I find someone to be in a long term relationship with?"

"Have you given up on marrying Mr. Lawyer?"

"Chrom," Robin corrected.

"Whatever."

"Seriously though. Am I ugly, or something? Too clingy?"

"Definitely not," Tharja said. "No, you're just boring. You drive an ambulance."

"I'm a paramedic," Robin corrected.

"Same thing."

"You know it's not, Ms Chemist," Robin teased.

"Okay, I'll stop doing that. A pharmacist is much different, thank you very much."

"I'm still not convinced you actually are a pharmacist. I think you do like, voodoo or something. How come your store has only five star reviews on the internet?"

"Because I'm good at my job. And as well as having a complete stock of traditional medicines I also have herbal equivalents and stuff for the people who are into them. And I didn't go though university to do voodoo, you idiot."

"Hey, it's you. I would never know. You did use to be in a cult."

"That was for like, a month. The Grimleal are ridiculous and I don't want to have anything to do with them again."

"At least you don't have their tattoo on your hand," Robin sighed. Tharja merely rolled her eyes- this was something Robin complained about roughly once a week. "I regret that rebellious teenage phase I went through," Robin said, stretching her fingers to glare at her tattoo. It was difficult to get it at the age of fifteen; painful to sit through the ink penetrating her skin, and now it was merely an annoyance to look at.

"You could get it removed," Tharja suggested.

"A few days ago we were arguing about how we were going to pay the rent, especially if he can't get his share in because you threw a dart at someone who is currently unemployed, and now you're telling me to look into tattoo removal!"

"I was suggesting, not telling you. Anyway, he might have a job by now. He said he had five interviews."

"Knowing our luck, he'll have only got a job in the chicken shop around the corner."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Money, Tharja. We need the money!" Robin sighed.

"Well, we can't all be paramedics or paediatricians. Or _lawyers_."

"Watch it," Robin warned her, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm just being honest. Unemployed doesn't mean that he'll be working in fast food. You never know, he might be an actor."

"You don't interview for movies, you audition," Robin corrected, and Tharja rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. He could be... a journalist. Like a well paid one."

"What if he's a dentist?"

"Don't joke about that," Tharja shuddered.

"Well, he wasn't the ugliest person on the wall, so at least you did something right."

"I'll take the credit for picking him, thank you very much. And you know what they say about Chon'sin men, right?" Tharja hinted, raising an eyebrow.

"No, what do they say?" Robin asked, her curiosity piqued.

"If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you," Tharja said, hopping off the breakfast bar stool and swanning off, her slippers slapping against the floor.

"Wait! What do they say? Tharja!"

* * *

Not being currently in work left Robin with a whole lot of nothing to do. While Tharja and Henry were still out at work, she tasked herself with moving all her stuff from her bedroom into the largest bedroom that Maribelle had left behind. No one else had claimed the room, and that left the wardrobes and cupboards free for Robin to haul all her clothes and other belongings from one room to the other. Maribelle's room was a few square feet bigger than Robin's but also had a less awkward shape, so was desirable for her. And after she had moved all her clothes, she would clean out her old room in time for their new house guest moving in.

She took her wardrobe out a few items at a time, moving dresses and jeans and ugly pyjamas and heavy work jackets. She discovered more shoes than she thought she owned, and ended up throwing half of them out. She couldn't drive in heels, and since she never seemed to go out due to her usually having worked on a Friday and Saturday, she didn't really need them. She wasn't very good at charitable donations, but she threw her unwanted shoes and dresses into a bag and left them by the door.

Maribelle's old room had the piano she had graciously left behind in favour of the grand piano in her new home. Once Robin had transferred all her photos across from the walls of her old room into this new, better lit one, she pulled out the piano stool and sat down at it. When Maribelle was still living here, she barely ever got a chance to play it. She had very little music here to play, having left a lot of it behind in Plegia, along with her beloved oboe that she had resigned herself to never seeing again. She rested her fingers on the keys, staring at the dots on the page and trying to remember which note did what.

Within moments, she had plucked out a melody in her right hand, and added the left hand too. After a few minutes of playing, she found she didn't need to use the music, and closed her eyes, her fingers still playing out the tune. As the piece reached its climax, her phone buzzed, the vibrations shooting through the wood. She slammed her hands on the keys- of course the one time she actually got a chance to sit down and do something she enjoyed her phone rang, effectively interrupting her. She reached for the phone off the top of the piano, and when she saw the caller ID her heart stopped. She could feel the blood leave her face, leaving her pale. She pressed accept regardless, holding the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" She asked, a question even though she knew who it was.

"Good morning, darling. Just thought I'd check in," Validar drawled on the other end. Robin rolled her eyes.

"It's afternoon here," Robin pointed out, her voice monotone.

"Of course, of course. Four hours ahead, right?"

"Right."

"No need to be so dry. Are fathers not allowed to check in on their favourite daughters?"

"I'm your only daughter, _dad_."

"Then you are doubly my favourite." She could feel him smiling from the other end of the phone, and she shuddered.

"What are you calling about?" Robin asked. "You never call without some specific reason. What is it this time? Has Aversa crawled back to you?"

"Goodness, no. Wouldn't that be a miracle?"

"A disaster, more like."

"I'm still eagerly awaiting her return," he pressed on, ignoring her comment. "No, no. I want your help."

"If there's anything I can help you with from the comfort of my own home, I'm more than willing to help!" This was a complete lie, but she masked it with her tone of voice- overcompensating for the immense amount of discomfort he caused her merely by phoning to check up on her. Even if his intentions were purely good (which she expected they weren't) he would still cast this feeling through her.

"As I'm sure you know the Plegian elections are coming up again."

"So I heard. Are you running again?"

"That's exactly why I called you. I want you to help me with my election campaign. I'm getting old, I don't understand the social medias."

"Social media singular, dad."

"Exactly my point. So I'd love it if you would come back from Ylisse and live with me while we work on the campaign. I'd be able to pay you a good wage, probably better than you are earning _there_."

"How much are you offering?"

"Well, the rest of my PR team get 20,000G a year. They have other jobs as well, of course."

"I earn more than that here. I'm on nearly 30,000G. And we're expecting a new roommate in any time now. I can't move out while we're still waiting on the money coming in from them."

"Them?"

"Him," Robin clarified, rolling her eyes.

"Are your weirdo friends still living with you?" Validar asked, changing the subject subtly.

"They're not weird. And yes, Tharja and Henry are still here."

"I always thought they were a bad influence on you. That Tharja is the one that was part of the Grimleal and convinced you to join, isn't she?"

"Like you can talk shit about the Grimleal," Robin muttered.

"What was that?" She could almost hear him narrowing his eyes all the way in Plegia.

"Nothing."

"If you're going to make any accusations about the Grimleal, at least make them true. I have no affiliations with them."

"Apart from the fact that your daughter has their symbol tattooed on her hand."

"I can always put that down to rebellious teenage daughter," Validar said through gritted teeth. "Which is exactly what it was. Nothing you or I or even the Grimleal can change that."

"True," said Robin, the pep in her voice an annoyance for her father. "I was just trying to annoy you. And by the sounds of things, I did." And she still was, by living in a country full of 'the enemy'.

"Anyway, moving on from that ridiculous phase you went through. Honestly, if your mother were still around that wouldn't have happened."

"Well, she's not."

"So, are you going to come and help me with my social media?"

"Dad, I'm not even on most social media. I have an instagram and a snapchat, but I'm not allowed Facebook in case any of my patients try to contact me. I honestly wouldn't be of any help."

"But you were so good at graphics when you were in school! I always thought you'd be an artist or a musician. Or a poet!

"If Plegia allowed me to be an artist, then I would've been. But it was easier for me to go through med school than fight the authorities who said I wasn't an art genius," she sighed, crossing her legs over.

"You could come back and be an artist now?" Validar suggested. "You can work for me part time and I'll rent you a studio."

"As much as I love the idea of a studio, I'm just now settled in. I have a stable job, good friends... I don't want to just up and leave for Plegia. I left to get a job and help people here! No one needs me in Plegia."

"I need you," Validar said, his tone a mixture of angry and sad.

"You can phone me. Every day if you want," Robin mumbled, hoping that he wouldn't hear that last bit.

"I'll try again next week. If you're so settled, why aren't you at work?"

"I have time off."

"Why? Holidays?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh. Well. Changing the subject! Any men on the scene? Anyone I need to vet to date my daughter? Daughter of the President of Plegia is a pretty important position."

"My love life is none of your business, dad."

"Can't you tell me?"

"Nothing steady," Robin told him, mostly to shut him up. "A few casual dates. I haven't found The One, if that's what you're asking."

"It wouldn't be like you not to tell me if you got married, Robin."

"Are you done?" She asked bluntly. "I was practicing piano, and I was really enjoying myself for once."

"Yes, yes. I'll ask you again in a next weekif you're interested. But of course, it's only two months until the elections."

"Try putting out an advert rather than nepotism," Robin suggested. "I'm sure there's a lot of talent in Plegia. And it'll... boost the economy." She had to wrack her brain for the last bit, but was confident it was a good blow.

"I'll try. Now, goodbye, Robin. Have a nice evening."

"It's still afternoon."

"Hence why I'm wishing you a good evening."

"Bye, dad."

"Goodbye, darling."

Robin hung up and locked her phone, setting it back on the top of the piano. Then she slammed her head on the piano, making the most awful discordant sound.

* * *

Henry was home on Saturday night after a long shift that had lasted most of the rest of the day. With Tharja home too, they decided to 'celebrate' with a takeaway, ordering pizza and garlic bread and more potato wedges than they really needed. Henry laid them all out on the table, and sat admiring his handwork for a few minutes before Robin dived in and tore the pizza apart. She wasn't the most elegant of eaters, despite her well to do upbringing. Henry sighed as she destroyed his creation, but settled back in his seat with a tub of wedges.

When they arrived in Ylisse, they discovered, much to their displeasure, that Saturday night TV was not the same as it was in Plegia. Bad game shows and talent competitions were on every single channel, a huge changed from the big budget dramas that the Plegian TV companies managed to produce every year. So they watched the bad shows instead, laughing at just how bad they were compared to back home. After a few years, though, this got boring.

"Why don't we watch a movie?" Tharja suggested, and two pairs of eyes fell on her, bewildered by her idea. Watching a film on a Saturday night would be completely breaking tradition, something that they couldn't quite get their heads around.

"Why?" Henry asked.

"Because the novelty value of watching this crap has worn off. We've been doing it for two years, and it wasn't funny after two months. Can we _please_ do something else?"

"Maribelle liked it. That's why we watched it," Robin pointed out.

"Maribelle's not here anymore, you idiots!" Tharja spat, taking another bite of garlic bread.

"No need to get snappy," Henry soothed. "Do you have one in particular you want to watch?"

After ten minutes or so trying to pick one, Tharja eventually settled on a horror movie., Robin rolled her eyes- of course Tharja would pick something that would scare her. Neither Henry nor Tharja were particularly affected by horror movies in general. In fact, they seemed to revel in the suffering of others. And to be even more specific, the suffering of Robin. The white haired girl spent a lot of her time watching movies not actually looking at the TV, curled up in a ball. Today, she pulled her phone out, and pretended to be extremely interested in it.

Despite not looking at the screen at all this time, she still jumped at the scary moments. She could still vaguely follow the plot of the film just by listening, although one of the main character's voices annoyed her to a ridiculous extent. Every now and again she could hear Tharja chuckle very quietly, which made her insides curl up in disgust. And of course, at one particularly quiet point of the film, Henry's phone rang, causing Robin to nearly jump out of her skin. Henry laughed as he reached forward to lift his phone.

"Calm down," he said. When he read who it was, he waved frantically. "Ooh, pause it, pause it!" At his command, Robin happily grabbed the TV remote to stop the film in its tracks.

"Hello?" Henry greeted. Tharja shuffled closer towards him to hear who it was. In response, Henry put it on speakerphone, holding the phone in front of him.

"It's Lon'qu."

"I told you I was pronouncing it right," Robin hissed into Tharja's ear.

"Yes, yes! Is something the matter?"

"No. I was just wondering if it was okay if I could move in tomorrow? My lease is up on this place I have now, and I don't have that much stuff to bring." He sounded nervous, his voice not steady on any of his words.

"That's fine! What time do you think you'll be here? Or should we send someone to pick you up?"

"I'll be here in the afternoon. I can walk over, since I'm not too far away."

"Great! We'll be ready for you."

"Thanks. See you tomorrow, I guess."

He hung up after that, leaving Henry's phone glowing in his hand. Henry nodded slowly in approval, before locking his phone and tossing it on the table.

"Well, that's that."

"So he's coming tomorrow afternoon?" Tharja clarified.

"Yes. Are you deaf?"

"We need to clean." Tharja said, glancing around her. "Has anyone been in Maribelle's room since she left?"

"Yeah, about that... that's my room now. So Lon'qu can have my old room," Robin grinned.

"Of course. Well, I'm not cleaning up your old mess, so you can make sure it's clean on your own."

"Roger that."

"Move it, Henry. We need this rent, so we can't have the guy moving out because the house is disgusting. What if he's a clean freak?"

"Tharja," Robin said, placing her hands on the shorter woman's shoulders. "You are the clean freak."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What was that about?" Tharja asked. "You went AWOL for a minute there. We were talking about dinner while you spaced out."
> 
> "Of course you were talking about food," Robin said, rolling her eyes.
> 
> "What was that about?" Tharja repeated, slower, as if Robin was hard of hearing.
> 
> "It was just Chrom."
> 
> "Of course it was loverboy," Henry sniggered, giving Tharja a sideways look.
> 
> "I hate both of you."

Tharja spent the morning running about checking, double checking and triple checking that every corner of the house was spotless, particularly the bathroom and Lon'qu's bedroom. Robin and Henry didn't care as much, choosing to make sure there was enough food and at Robin's request, a bottle of wine for their new housemate. Every time someone passed the window, they stared out, in case it was him that was passing. Eventually, it was him, and he knocked the door briskly. Henry jumped up first to answer it, with Robin close behind him. They waited for Tharja to join them, but when she didn't they went ahead and opened the door.

"Lon'qu?" Henry asked, hesitant although the man looked similar to his picture.

"That's me. I guess you're Henry?"

"Correct! Nice to meet you at last. Come on in!" He moved out of the way for the man to walk in, and Robin scampered to one side to make room. Lon'qu wandered in, one cardboard box in his arms and two duffel bags slung over his shoulder, making him walk slightly off balance. "Do you want coffee?" Henry offered.

"I don't want to be a burden."

"It's no trouble! Have you had lunch?"

"I ate before I left."

"So, coffee or not?"

"Sure." He was very quiet, Robin noted, and she furrowed her eyebrows a little trying to figure out why.

"Let me show you to your room. You can leave your things up there," she offered.

"F-fine."

She turned to go upstairs, and he followed her hesitantly. Henry disappeared into the kitchen, presumably to make the coffee Lon'qu was pressured in to. Robin led him upstairs, and took a left at the stairs into his room. She swung the door open and he walked in past her, as if she wasn't there. He dropped the bags on the bed, which she had changed earlier to a nondescript red bedding, and left the box on the dresser. He opened the blinds, and closed them again after glancing out the window.

"I'm Robin, by the way. My room is just next door if you need me. And I apologise in advance for my bad piano playing."

"Right."

"Henry's room is on the other side, then the bathroom, then Tharja's room. You'll meet her later, I don't really know what she's doing..." she trailed off, noting that Lon'qu wasn't paying any attention to her at all. "Um... I'm sure your coffee is nearly ready." She wandered out of the room and he followed her in silence. She couldn't put her finger on why he was so quiet and uncomfortable, but she wasn't particularly getting a negative feeling from him, so she didn't press the matter.

He drank his coffee in silence, while Henry and Robin watched him. He was a lot taller than either of them, and Robin guessed that he was probably taller than Chrom was too. He had dark hair and darker eyes, and when he glanced over at them their eyes went into their tea. His face was completely comprised of fine features, and Robin could tell even through his jacket (that he had neglected to take off) that he was pretty well built. He did look like the sort of person who went to the gym, she had to admit, and she just hoped he wouldn't bring any gym equipment into their house.

Lon'qu slid off his stool as soon as he finished his coffee, thanking Henry for making it. He went upstairs, and Henry and Robin sat in silence until they heard his door closing before they burst into laughter. There was something odd and uncomfortable about living with someone new. When it came to Maribelle, Robin already knew her as they had become internet friends when they first began to think about moving to Ylisse. But with him... well, Lon'qu was a walking enigma. Although he had been in their house for less than an hour, both Robin and Henry were determined to crack him. And as Tharja slinked into the room, her jumper pulled over her hands, they had to fill her in immediately.

"What's he like?" She asked, pouring herself coffee from the pot. It was unusual for them to ever use the coffee maker, instead usually opting for instant coffee and the kettle- Robin assumed this was Henry's idea of a 'special occasion'.

"Quiet," Henry said.

" _Very_ quiet. Almost suspiciously so," Robin elaborated.

"I like my men quiet," Tharja mused.

"Tharja, you don't like men," Henry reminded, his voice dry.

"My point exactly."

"He seems okay, though. Just shy, perhaps," Robin guessed. Her phone went off at that moment, and assuming it was Validar, she left it be. But she could feel Tharja's eyes on her, so she lifted it, glancing at the name, which, ina nice turn of fate, was not her father,

{Chrom} _Are we still okay for our date this week?_

{Robin} _Sure! When were you thinking? :)_

{Chrom} _Tuesday, 4pm? There's a cafe in the centre of town that's just opened up and I really want to try it._

{Robin} _Sounds god! I know which one you're talking about and I can recommend 100%_

{Chrom} _I'll see you there then :)_

"What was that about?" Tharja asked. "You went AWOL for a minute there. We were talking about dinner while you spaced out."

"Of course you were talking about food," Robin said, rolling her eyes.

"What was that about?" Tharja repeated, slower, as if Robin was hard of hearing.

"It was just Chrom."

"Of course it was loverboy," Henry sniggered, giving Tharja a sideways look.

"I hate both of you."

"You'll love us when you're married."

"She doesn't like him _that_ much," Tharja drawled, sipping on her coffee.

"A shame. You'd have some really cute children."

"They'd have weird blue hair."

"I can just imagine! Cute Robin and Chrom mashups."

"Please stop this before you're naming my potential future children," Robin sighed, resting her head on her arms.

"If you hate him that much, why are you doing a second date? Are you just that desperate for a husband so you can change your last name?" Tharja teased.

"Hey, I am not desperate. And I don't hate him! He's really nice."

"'Nice' is the worst describing word for people, Robin."

* * *

Lon'qu didn't appear again that day, not even when Tharja called him down for dinner. This was usually Tharja's job- she was a surprisingly good cook, and summoned everyone to eat when she was ready. Henry and Robin arrived promptly, but it took a lot longer for Lon'qu to come downstairs. Eventually, Tharja called again, while Henry and Robin helped themselves. Tharja plated up for Lon'qu and knocked on his door, leaving the plate outside for him.

"I know you're probably nervous, but I promise we're not scary. Well, Henry and Robin aren't anyway," Tharja chuckled. "Anyway, your dinner is outside. I made beef stew. Please tell me if you have any allergies to anything so I can make things that suit you."

She left in a hurry, keen to get back to her own food. He was strange, that was for sure, and like Robin, Tharja couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with him. She hadn't even seen him since he arrived, and she thought it rude that he hadn't introduced himself. Sitting down at the table, late because of her detour upstairs, she sighed, causing Robin and Henry to look over at her.

"No luck?" Henry asked between spoonfuls of stew.

"No. He seems to be awkward. It would be much more convenient if he just came downstairs."

"Maybe he's busy?" Robin suggested. "I mean, he might want to rearrange the room, and he has to unpack still."

"He had a box and two bags, Robin. It wouldn't take anyone long to unpack that," Henry said.

"I am convinced he was homeless before he came here and that's why he's hidden away. He's ashamed."

"I highly doubt that, Tharja."

"I want to know if he has a job."

"I'll talk to him after dinner," Henry offered.

"You're supposed to be doing the dishes tonight," Tharja reminded.

"I can do both."

"He might be busy," Robin suggested, poking potato around her plate.

"Or not," Tharja retorted. "Don't worry so much."

When Henry went to talk to him, he was sent away, and came back downstairs with an empty plate and a shrug of the shoulders.

* * *

Robin's date with Chrom was making her more nervous than she had felt in her life. A second date was unusual in her book, and she wanted to make a good impression. As much as he wouldn't be the first choice of life partner in her book, he seemed to be into her and she could do much worse than a lawyer despite what Tharja said. And just like how her mother had eventually learned to love her father, she could learn to love him.

If it came to that, of course. She always seemed to be getting ahead of herself in planning a future around the men that she dated, imagining weddings and babies and houses across town in the area that she quickly discovered to be her favourite. This was ridiculous, and she knew it, but she was a dreamer at heart, despite her logical brain. So instead of thinking more on it, she pushed her dreams for the future to one side and focussed on getting ready.

There was no such thing as 'too early' in Robin's book. She took a shower mid morning, and lazed around on the sofa, watching reruns of old sitcoms and thinking about drying her hair. When she eventually did, she scraped it back into a ponytail, soft strands just brushing the tops of her shoulders. When the clock finally ticked round to three she made an effort to hurry up, pulling on jeans and socks and boots and shimmying into a loose blouse and a long cardigan. Makeup wasn't particularly important at this event, she decided, so she brushed a thin layer of mascara on her eyelashes and coated her lips in coral, casual enough for coffee but enough to make it look like she had actually made an effort.

She dashed into the bathroom to check her appearance, humming quietly a song that had been playing nonstop on the radio the past few days. She liberally sprayed perfume on so she came out of the bathroom smelling of peaches and daisies. And of course, just her luck, she opened the door and walked straight into Lon'qu, who was attempting to enter the bathroom.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, unsure how to react to such a situation. "Sorry." She smiled and went on her way, not without noticing that he had been backing away from her quickly and that his face was flushed.

* * *

The cafe Chrom had recommended was full of school children downstairs, clearly just out of the high school that was just around the corner. It was very inner city and very obviously Ylissian, and she could see why Chrom had chosen there. She ordered her drink, trying to ignore the teenagers screaming behind her. Coffee in hand, she headed upstairs, sitting by the window. It was a lot quieter on the first floor, with mostly people sitting around with newspapers and laptops, ignoring the barely audible sound of those downstairs.

Robin grabbed her phone from her pocket, checking the time. They had agreed to meet at four, and Robin was worried that she would be late when she eventually left the house. It was a quarter past four, and looking around her, she could see no sign of Chrom. A part of her wondered if she had merely walked past him while she was ignoring those downstairs. But he would've seen her in that case, so she had to come to the conclusion that he wasn't here yet. Twenty past rolled in without her coffee cooling down and without Chrom arriving. At twenty five past, she sent him a text, hoping, praying he hadn't forgotten her.

{Robin} _I'm upstairs in the cafe. Is everything okay?_

{Chrom} _Stuck in traffic. I'll be there in a few minutes :)_

True to his word, at thirty three minutes past, Chrom stumbled up the stairs, coffee in hand and two slices of cake in the other. He spotted Robin across the room and made a beeline for her. He crashed in the comfy chair across from her, setting the food down and sitting back in the chair, a goofy smile on his face. He loosened his tie, then slid one of the pieces of cake towards Robin, who had sat and watched him, bewildered.

"Cake. To apologise for leaving you here for so long."

"It's okay. You're here now," she smiled.

"Traffic was bad today," he explained, sighing. "There was a crash across town, where the firm I work in is."

"Right," Robin said, clenching her fist as she sipped on her coffee.

"Anyway, sorry about the excuses. How has your day been?"

"Good, I suppose. I haven't really done that much, truthfully."

"I thought paramedics would be busy," Chrom mused, not realising he was overstepping the mark into a zone that made Robin particularly uncomfortable.

"We are usually, but I'm off at the minute. Uh... compassionate leave," she explained sheepishly, glancing out the window.

"Sorry. I didn't know."

"No, no. It's fine. You weren't to know," she said, waving a hand in front of her face. "How was your day?"

"Busy, as youmay have guessed from the fact I wasn't organised enough to leave before the traffic got too busy."

"Wait, do you not work nine to five? I thought that's what all lawyers did."

"Not necessarily. I can pick my hours when I'm not in court, so I worked eight to four today."

"You worked an hour earlier to come here with me?"

"Yeah," Chrom said, a red tinge creeping up his neck. "Anyway, we're in court from tomorrow with this murder case, so I reckoned this would be the last chance we would have to get out."

"Oh yeah. Big high profile case, right? I know the guy you're defending. He's married to my landlord."

"He seems like a good guy. Obviously I have client confidentiality, but... although he may look like a murderer, he seems to have had enough money to hire me. And my firm isn't cheap."

"His wife, my landlord, is loaded," Robin laughed. "I've known him as long as I've been in Ylisse. He used to be a thug, but he's alright now. I can't see it, personally."

"He does have a record, which will put the jury against him. But it's my job to prove him innocent, or at least get him a light sentence; if it turns out he is guilty."

The sun was setting now, and Robin smiled politely while Chrom explained exactly what his job entailed. They had lawyers in Ylisse- one of her best friends at university studied law, so she had a good idea of what he had to do. And she'd been paying attention to the murder of the duke of Roseanne for a while- it had been all over the news. Of course, Maribelle knew him too, and as soon as the news broke she had to tell everyone. She didn't have a good word to say about the duke, so Robin couldn't say she blamed whoever it was that did kill him. There were a number of suspects in the case, and she hoped that Gaius would be let go quickly.

"Do you want to get takeaway?" Chrom suggested. "We could go back to my place, order some food from the Chon'sin restaurant down the road."

"I really should get going. I'm supposed to be cooking dinner tonight. A new house mate moved in and we're still trying to make him comfortable," Robin excused, trying her best to look disappointed that she had to refuse his offer.

"That's fine. I'll invite my sister round instead." He did look disappointed, but Robin jumped at the chance to change the conversation.

"Oh, you have a sister?"

"I thought I told you about that before?"

"I don't remember." Robin feigned innocence, but knew that he had told her before. Truth be told, she had been drinking heavily, so she could use that as a convenient excuse.

"Lissa. She's a teacher in the primary school. Here, I'll show you a picture of her." He lifted his phone from the table and swiped through it for a while until he found a picture, slightly blurry but beautifully lit. The girl in the centre of the frame had her hair tied in two high pigtails and was smiling into the camera.

"She's really pretty," Robin commented pathetically, and Chrom locked his phone, glancing at the time as he did so.

"Yeah." He paused uncomfortably, glancing around. "Look, I don't want to be that person, but... I'm not really feeling this as a romantic relationship. Don't get me wrong, you're a great person, and you're clever and funny and beautiful, but I don't think there could be anything romantic between us. And if my feeling is right, you're not really into it either."

"I am _so_ glad you're the one that said this, because I didn't want to be the one that had to," Robin sighed, relief flooding out of her. "I think we could get on really well as friends and I'd rather we went forward together like that than we did as... whatever we are now."

"Well, at least I know that I'm not breaking your heart or anything. That would be the last thing I would want."

"You're not, no worries." She got to her feet with a sigh. "I hope you find someone that you actually like, though. There's no point in forcing something between us when you could spend a little longer finding someone that makes you truly happy."

"I hope the same for you. What about your new roommate?" He said, trying to hide a smirk.

"Gods, no. He's weird."

"Henry?"

"Weirder."

"Gods, you sound miserable," Chrom laughed, making Robin wince. "I'm sorry, that was stupid."

"Well, at least you realised."

They descended the stairs in silence. The rest of the cafe was pretty much empty now, and Robin smiled at the barista on her way out. At the door, Chrom stopped on the pavement, waiting for her to catch up. They stood awkwardly for a moment before Robin burst into laughter.

"This is going to be so weird if we don't just leave and agree to still get on as friends."

"Agreed. Are you parked nearby?"

"Just across the road," Robin said, pointing to her car- dark green, a stark contrast from the silver cars surrounding her.

"I'm parked miles away. I guess I'll... see you around?"

"See you around," Robin confirmed.

They nodded awkwardly at each other for a moment before they turned and left, completely synchronised. Robin crossed the road and sat in her car for a good minute, leaning her head on the steering wheel. Part of her felt a weight lifted off her shoulders at leaving Chrom behind, but another part felt annoyed at herself for letting someone so good get away from her. If she had made a little bit more of an effort, they could've got along fine, and had a long term relationship. But it was better for them both to leave things the way they were. She lifted her phone from her bag, calling Tharja. It went straight to answer phone, so she texted her instead, praying she would answer quickly.

{Robin} _Its done_

{Tharja} _What's done? It's not the dinner because you're not here_

{Robin} _I broke up with Chrom_

{Tharja} _Is that all?_

{Tharja} _Gods you're so grim Robin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops this is really late


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Let's go then. I thought this would take your mind off Chrom."
> 
> "My mind is off Chrom! The only time my mind is on Chrom is when you bring him up!"

Tharja came home one day to see Robin lounging on the sofa, taking up all the seats on her own. Afternoon TV wasn't interesting at all to her, so she had put a bad movie on and was currently reading a book. Tharja put her keys down on the table, and Robin looked up, slipping her bookmark in between the pages. The dark haired girl stared Robin down for a minute, until the younger girl scurried up the sofa.

"What?"

"Is he here?" Tharja asked, her eyes darting towards the door.

"Lon'qu?"

"I would never ask if Henry was here, would I?"

"He's upstairs. Made coffee when he came in and then went upstairs straight away."

"Did he say anything?" Tharja enquired, perching on the arm of the sofa beside Robin's feet.

"Imagine him talking," Robin retorted, rolling her eyes. "I said hello when he came in, but he didn't properly reply."

"So have you been here all day?" Tharja asked.

"I went into town for a bit this morning to get new underwear-"

"I thought you broke up with Chrom?"

"That doesn't mean I can't have cute yet functional underwear," Robin shrugged.

"True," Tharja conceded with a nod. "Continue."

"That's it."

"So you've been sitting here all day?"

"I had lunch in the garden."

" _Fine._ All afternoon?"

"Yes."

"Robin," Tharja asked, her eyes serious. "Have you like... lost your job or something? I mean, you haven't been at work in weeks, and you're not ill."

"Compassionate leave," she answered, looking past Tharja into the kitchen.

"All of your family members are still alive."

"Yeah," Robin sighed, pulling herself upright, allowing Tharja to slip down onto the seat. "You know that guy who worked in the ambulance with me, Ricken?"

"Oh, the short one? You brought him here once and you had coffee and I thought your tastes in men had drastically changed from tall, dark and handsome to munchkins?"

"Yeah. Three weeks ago, when I was on duty, he was killed in a hit and run. I didn't know it was him when I went to the scene to pick up the casualties. Both he and his mother were killed. And because we were so close, and because it was me who drove the ambulance, I've been given a while off. I'm going back on Saturday, though."

"I didn't know. Sorry, that was not too great of me to say. Why didn't you tell us before?"

"I didn't want to make a fuss," Robin laughed. "Ricken was a good kid. Younger than me, some sort of medical prodigy. Best new paramedic on the team."

"Robin, I'm sorry-"

"No, no, it's okay. Difficult, but I'll get over it eventually. The weirdest thing will be having a new partner when I go back."

"I'm sure it'll be someone good to you."

"Thanks, Tharja."

"Maybe it'll be a man who you can fall in love with and stop moping about Chrom," she teased, back to her old light hearted ways.

"I am not moping about Chrom!" Robin said, indignant. "And workplace romances are frowned upon in the health service."

"Not in my sector," Tharja smirked.

"Who have you hired now?" Robin asked, getting up from where she had sat all afternoon, taking her teacup into the kitchen.

"No one! I was just commenting."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

"Shut it, you."

* * *

Sorting out everyone's schedule mentally took Robin a lot of work. Tharja worked nine to five, and as Robin usually slept in until about ten (or later) she rarely saw her in the morning. Henry's shifts were all over the place, and he usually worked later than he had to, since he enjoyed making the children he looked after feel better. Lon'qu was harder to figure out, since Robin was sure if she asked him what he worked as and when he went to work she would just be brushed off. He had been living with them over a week and she still couldn't figure out whether he was rude or just shy.

Tharja reported that he always ate breakfast with her, but sat on his phone will shoving cereal down his neck. He made coffee in a travel mug, and left before her, often at about twenty past eight, if not earlier. Robin had noticed that he always left money on the side of the counter with a post it saying what he'd taken. She figured he brought his own lunch to wherever he worked, since there was always slightly less in the way of bread and fillings by the time she came to making her own lunch. Not that she was going to ignore the money- she just gave it to Henry, who generally paid for food.

Even though Henry paid for the food, he left money for it in a jar in the kitchen, in case they ever ran out of bread or milk or, gods forbid, coffee. They took it in turns to go to the supermarket- once a week, spending enough money to see them most, if not the whole way, through the week. This Friday, it was Robin's turned, and though she usually complained about having to do things for the better of her house mates, she rejoiced at having a reason to go out somewhere. She had noticed that Lon'qu was at home today- he had come down about half an hour ago to make his lunch, then disappeared again without a word. Steeling her nerves, Robin went upstairs and knocked lightly on the door. There was a notable pause before she could hear shuffling within his room, and then he appeared at the door.

"What?" It wasn't really a question, not in his tone of voice. Robin knew he was trying to intimidate her, but it wouldn't work.

"Are you busy?" She asked, smiling to be friendly. He raised his eyebrows.

"I have work to do. But if it's important, it can wait."

"I was going to go to the supermarket, and since you're here, I wanted to know if you wanted to come. We usually just cook Plegian food, but if you came we'd be able to make more meals. Like from Chon'sin, or whatever."

"Give me half an hour."

"I'll be waiting."

Eventually he did come downstairs, a jacket on and his hands in his pockets. Robin turned the TV off and peeled herself from the seat, running a hand through her hair. She lifted her keys from the dining table, where they seemed to permanently reside this weather. She held the door open for him, and he closed it when he came out. Robin's car was parked outside, and he raised his eyebrows at it as he got into the front passenger seat. He sat awkwardly for a minute while Robin fiddled with the CDs.

"Is this your car?"

"No, I just got into a strangers car and am rifling through their CD collection looking for best of piano classics for fun," she said with a straight face, and he hit his head off the back of the seat.

"Are you always like this?"

"This is literally the first conversation we've ever had," Robin pointed out, glancing up at him.

"Whatever," he said, turning his face away to stare out the window. She put the CD in and pulled out of her space. She kept her attention on the road, but occasionally she could feel him looking at her and glanced up at him. He immediately turned red and looked away, causing her only to smirk. She continued on driving, until they reached the supermarket. Robin jumped out of the car, and waited for Lon'qu to make an appearance. Eventually he did, and they walked together into the shop.

"I don't know why you asked me to come," he said, staring straight ahead of him.

"Company," she answered shortly. "And so we can buy food for you. I'm sure Plegian cooking isn't really your thing."

"It's fine," he said, grabbing a trolley from the row beside the shop and swinging it round in front of him.

"Listen, you're living in our house, the least we can do is make you good food that you like."

"Right."

He walked away then, standing in front of the trolley as Robin was forced to push it around the shop. She stocked up on vegetables and fruit first- healthy snacks to eat while she was on call. Tharja's Plegian meals mainly consisted of carbohydrates and meat, since the country they hailed from was largely desert. Since coming to Ylisse, they had become a lot healthier in eating fresh vegetables, something that Robin had discovered she had a particular taste for. To her surprise, Lon'qu lifted a strange looking lettuce and threw it in the trolley. He stared blankly at her for a moment, then shrugged and turned away. She smiled then, continuing onward.

He wasn't much use after that, letting her do whatever she wanted as she stocked up on meats and fish and milk and yogurt. Her healthy eating regime would resume when she got back to work, something she was secretly annoyed with, after eating whatever she wanted for the time she was off. She had told Tharja this already, and she had agreed that Robin should attempt eating properly for a while. Robin kept hitting the back of Lon'qu's legs with the trolley as they walked down the pasta and rice aisle, so much so that he turned around to glare at her.

"Why are you doing that?"

"I'm not doing it on purpose. If you would walk at a consistent speed, it wouldn't happen."

"I'll walk however I want. You're the one who wanted me to come with them to the shop."

"At least walk beside me like a normal person."

"Fine." He walked around the other side of the trolley, still standing a good few feet away from her. She sighed, knowing that was the best she was probably going to get. They walked down the rest of the aisle in silence, and it was only when they turned the corner and Lon'qu lifted a can of soup that was on the end of the aisle. Robin reached out and grabbed his wrist, holding it so he couldn't put the can into the trolley.

"You can only get this if you agree to eat dinner with us from now on."

"I could pay for it with my own money, and you couldn't do anything about that."

"Are you really going to fight with me in the supermarket over a can of soup?"

"J-just get off me, woman," he said, and she gladly released his wrist from her grip. He set the can of soup in the trolley without another word, and she walked on with half a smile on her face, noticing that he was still walking a while away from her.

They made it the rest of the way around the shop without incident. Lon'qu pointed out to Robin some of the Chon'sin cuisine which she then insisted on buying even if they weren't to cook it this week. He seemed thankful for that, even if he wouldn't admit it to her in words. Their final problem arose when it came to the checkout, and Lon'qu insisted on paying, despite Robin's many protests.

"No, Henry left money for me in the kitchen to spend on food this week."

"I haven't done anything since I moved in. At least let me pay for this."

"No, we have to do this properly. So let me pay." Without letting him argue further, she took out the necessary money from her pocket and handing it across to the cashier while rolling her eyes. The woman just laughed as she handed Robin her change and the receipt, and the white haired girl walked on without another glance at Lon'qu. He walked after her, hands in his jeans pockets and a scowl on his face.

* * *

"Oh, good. A full fridge. I expected you to not bother going out, since you haven't the last month or so," Tharja commented, rifling through the fridge to decide what to cook for dinner. Robin perched on a bar stool, sipping herbal tea.

"Not true, I've made a small effort to go out every day."

"There's some stuff in here I've never heard of," Tharja complained, holding up the lettuce thing that Lon'qu had picked out. "Like, what is pak choi?"

"It looks like lettuce to me. I don't know, Google it."

"Why would you even pick it if you didn't know what it was?"

"That's the thing, see. I didn't. I got our new best friend to come with me."

"You convinced Lon'qu to go to the supermarket with you?" Tharja asked, closing the door with her hip as her hands were full with food.

"Yes," Robin said, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Well," Tharja said, "I guess miracles do exist."

" _And_ , he agreed to eat dinner with us."

"When, today?"

"I didn't specify, but I said from now on, and he kinda agreed."

"Kinda?"

"Oh, there he is now!" Robin said as Lon'qu walked into the kitchen, lifting his jacket from where he'd slung it across the chair when he helped Robin to put everything away. "We were just talking about you."

"I could hear."

"You'll have to tell me what to do with the pak choi, because I'm no expert in Chon'sin food," Tharja deadpanned, and he nodded slowly.

"I'm going out."

"You don't need to tell me that," she said, turning back to the cooker.

"Where?" Robin asked.

"Out. With people from work."

"Right. If you need a lift home, call us, okay?"

"...okay." With a confused on his face, he turned away, shrugging his jacket on as he walked out of the room. Tharja turned to Robin, raising his eyebrows.

"You sound like you're trying to be his mum."

"I do not!"

"No, you do. Making him go to the shops with you, offering him lifts?"

"I want to be friendly, that's all."

"I'm just saying," Tharja shrugged, pouring oil into the frying pan. "Anyway, we need a night out soon. Like tonight for example. And since you're working tomorrow, you can be designated driver."

"Really?" Robin sighed.

"Henry will be home in like, an hour, and once he's eaten, we can go out. What do you say?"

"Fine. But only for a while, okay?"

"You won't regret it," Tharja smiled.

* * *

Robin did regret it, the moment she put her foot into the door of Tharja and Henry's favourite nightclub. It was strangely empty, what for it being a Friday night. Robin spent most of the time sitting at the bar, chatting idly to the bartender who she had made friends with in her years frequenting the bar. Tonight, she just had a glass of orange juice, which was bought by Tharja who had bought the first round for everyone. She and Henry had already down a round of shots, and Robin was praying that neither of them would throw up in her car.

Henry was dancing at the edge of the floor, awkward and angular, yet he somehow had a crowd of people surrounding him, copying his bad dancing. Robin couldn't even see Tharja, which made a bad feeling settle in her stomach. The pharmacist was known for her mad partying lifestyle, and although she drank her body weight in alcohol every time she was out, she never seemed to get a hangover, allowing her to go out whenever the notion took her. On occasion, when Robin was working night shifts, she would come home to find Tharja passed out at the kitchen table, a neat row of shot glasses beside her. As Robin continued to scan the crowd for the raven haired woman, she slid into the bar stool beside her, leaning across the bar.

"One martini please," she asked the bar tender. "And when Henry wants something, put it on my tab."

"The fact that you have a tab here is ridiculous," Robin commented, rolling her eyes. Tharja swivelled in her chair as the bartender made her drink, looking at Robin with hazy eyes.

"I like to drink, and I like to drink here."

"Great."

"You're being so boring tonight. You didn't even change from your supermarket clothes. You wore the same thing to go food shopping with _Lon'qu_ that you did to come here!"

"I'm not drinking, so I have no need to dress up. Or be exciting. I'm having a great time watching Henry dancing, I'll have you know."

"Back track a little, ladies," Gregor, the bartender, said as he set Tharja's drink in front of her. "You know Lon'qu? Are you and he romantically involved, Robin?"

"No! No, he lives with us," Robin explained hastily.

"Gregor knows Lon'qu from his wrestling days," the man nodded. "Lon'qu was fencer in Chon'sin. Now he do something else. He got injury, then went to Ferox."

"He lived in Ferox?" Tharja asked, pretending to be interested in the conversation while her sights were still locked on her martini.

"Gregor assumed he was still there, but if he is living with you, Lon'qu is in Ylisse now. Gregor isn't sure what he do here, though."

"Neither are we," Robin admitted. "He doesn't talk much."

"Always was quiet!" Gregor laughed, causing both women to wince. "Good man, though. Good man."

"He doesn't _seem_ like a bad person," Robin commented, and Tharja rolled her eyes.

"You're only saying that because he's essentially your ideal man."

"Um, no? I don't _have_ an ideal man, Tharja. I think personality is much more important than looks. And I couldn't tell you anything about Lon'qu's personality."

"Tell that 'personality' thing to all those one night stands," Tharja smirked, sipping on her cocktail.

"Tharja!" Robin said, flushing red to the tips of her ears.

"Oh ho! Robin sleeps around?" Gregor commented, raising his eyebrows.

"I do not! I just... enjoy the company of others every now and again."

"To be fair, it's only a few times a year. Or more often if she gets really drunk."

"Which I don't," Robin defended.

"And they all are like Lon'qu in appearance. Although if you go for him, I'd have to say you're doing better than usual."

"I'm not going to 'go for him'," Robin said, making quote marks in the air. "How drunk are you, Tharja?"

"Quite," she giggled, as Gregor disappeared to serve customers at the other end of the bar.

"And what would your ideal man be?" Robin asked, knowing the answer to this question differed wildly depending on Tharja's alcohol intake.

"Dead," she said, eyes blank but mouth curled into a smile. "Not taking anyone home tonight?"

"No one has caught my eye, so no. And as you said, I'm not drunk, so I still have a sense of dignity."

"Let's go then. I thought this would take your mind off Chrom."

"My mind is off Chrom! The only time my mind is _on_ Chrom is when you bring him up!"

"Sorry," Tharja smirked, hopping off her stool. She wrapped an arm around Robin's waist, pressing herself into the taller girl's side. "You can take me home anytime, Robin."

"Thanks for the offer, as usual."

* * *

Henry was a lot less drunk than Tharja, Robin discovered as they got out of the car in front of the house. A taxi pulled up at the same time as them, and Lon'qu got out, accompanied by loud yelling from his friends. He was smiling, something that none of them had seen before. As soon as he turned away, his face fell, and Tharja rolled her eyes, sighing loudly.

"Nice to know we make you so happy," she called as he approached, standing beside Henry rather than Robin, who was trying to find her keys, or Tharja, who was practically part of the hedge by now. Henry made quiet small talk as Robin unlocked the door, holding it open for everyone to pile inside.

As she closed the door, she noticed a black car parked across the street, between two street lamps. The people who lived in that house drove a tiny red car, since there were only two of them. In the time they had been living here, she had got to know all the cars that belonged to the residents in the street, and those driven by frequent visitors. She assumed that this was a new car, but its headlights were still on, even when it was pushing two a.m.

She went into the house, and discovered that in her few seconds staring at the car, everyone had disappeared. She put the kettle on for tea, and went upstairs to get into her pyjamas. Plaid wasn't her look at all during the day, but for comfort at night, there was nothing as good as ugly oversized clothing. Robin padded back downstairs in her slippers, dancing around the kitchen as she made tea. Her plan was to stay up late and sleep in later so she could get back into her perfected sleep routine for staring work for her evening shift tomorrow.

Tea finished and book abandoned, Robin went back upstairs to brush her teeth and get into bed. Both Lon'qu and Henry's doors were closed, and everything was silent from their rooms. Tharja was evidently in the bathroom, where Robin's toothbrush was, and the younger girl had to assume that Tharja was throwing up into the toilet. She sighed; glad that at least her car was unharmed. Defeated, she went into her bedroom, swearing she would brush her teeth an extra time tomorrow to make up for it. As she closed her curtains, she paused. The car was still parked outside, and when she pulled the second curtain across the gap, she could hear it pull away. She moved the curtain just an inch to peek out, and confirmed to herself that the car was gone. There was nothing wrong with someone parking across the street from her house, but something about it unsettled her. There was nothing to worry about, she told herself, as she lay in bed and eventually drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have things to say this time, so:
> 
> 1\. This is supposed to be sitcom like in delivery. It's supposed to be funny ish (though comedy is not my forte) so I hope that comes through
> 
> 2\. In case you hadn't noticed, Tharja is Really Gay for Robin but knows that Robin isn't interested so she doesn't bother
> 
> 3\. I hate when you read fanfictions and the girl is always this pure virgin character and the guy can do what he wants, so in this relationship its the other way around because that dynamic amuses me and fits SO well with Robin and Lon'qu
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have a feeling about Lon'qu, though. Henry and I will do checks on him to make sure he's suitable for you."
> 
> "Stop trying to set me up!" Robin complained, disappearing into her tea cup.

Returning to work terrified Robin more than she cared to admit. As soon as she stepped into the locker room to drop of her bag, she was hugged by Miriel, who had sympathised with Robin after the accident. The red haired woman had also taken Robin under her wing as soon as she started working, and was clearly waiting for the Plegian as she came in. Robin squirmed away from her, unlocking her locker to leave her bag in there.

"How are you faring?" Miriel asked, folding her arms. She was one of the lead trauma doctors, and Robin was grateful that she had decided to take her under her wing.

"Better, yeah. I've had a lot to take my mind off it this weather. New roommate," she informed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, believe me, I know. Henry's facebook had been full of him complaining about him."

"He's not that bad. He's just shy, I think. And... well, it's us. I don't think I need to say anything else, do I?"

"No, you do not. You Plegians are wild, I hear."

"I'm not sure it's Plegians in general, I think it's just escaped Plegians like us."

"I'll have to come on a night out with you sometime."

"Oh, definitely. You'll love it," Robin laughed, imagining the usually uptight woman letting her hair down.

"When does your shift start?" Miriel asked, causing Robin to glance up at the clock on the wall.

"Five minutes. But I should probably go round to see who my new partner is. I was told by Emm there was going to be someone to replace Ricken, not that you could do that."

"Oh, Robin. No one is expecting a replacement. I'm sure you'll get along fine with whoever they've assigned you to."

"You don't know then?"

Miriel shook her head, and Robin sighed. The pager vibrated in Miriel's pocket, and she rolled her eyes before heading off with a wave. Robin waved after her and trudged out the door, tugging on the sleeves of her coat. She was nervous, and that wasn't something she often said in her job. With four years of practice in Plegia, which was vastly different, and two here in Ylisse, you'd think Robin would take everything in her stride. But it was the short dark haired girl that was standing by the desk in the waiting room, swamped by her green coat, that threw her.

"Robin!" Emmeryn called, floating over to Robin. "Welcome back! Are you ready to start back?"

"Ready as I will be," Robin said, trying to muster up her most convincing grin.

"This is your new partner. Say'ri!" The woman called, and the short girl turned around, and Robin sighed. "Say'ri moved from Chon'sin, and we took her on. She'll be an excellent asset."

"Nice to meet you."

"I am not trying to be a replacement to Ricken," Say'ri explained quickly when Emmeryn was out of earshot. "Emmeryn told me all about the situation."

"Yeah. I don't expect you to be just like him. But I do expect you to be just as good as he was, okay?"

"I will," she nodded.

"Oh, Robin, one more thing," Emmeryn said. "I heard you went on a date with my brother."

"Your brother... you're Chrom's older sister. I should've known! He said she worked at the hospital."

"How did it go?"

"Not too bad, but we're not going to be a thing, I'm afraid. No spark."

"A shame," Emmeryn mused, "I like you."

"Thanks?"

"Oh, Robin. Don't worry, I'm only joking. Now, make sure you're ready for the call coming in!"

* * *

Robin got home at two a.m. and was surprised to find the kitchen light on still. When she came home from work in the early hours of the morning she wanted two things- coffee and toast. She assumed that Tharja had perhaps had another night out, but instead it was Lon'qu she found at the kitchen table. He looked up in surprise when she came in, not knowing whether to move or stay where he was. She ignored him at first, stripping off her oversized jacket and trousers. She always wore leggings underneath so she could do this as soon as she arrived home, and she threw on a cardigan that she had left on her chair at the kitchen table.

"Coffee?" Lon'qu asked eventually, holding up a pot up that he had clearly made himself.

"Is it decaf?" Robin asked.

"No. Why would you drink decaf?"

"Because it's late, and I intend to go to bed soon."

"Why are you still up?" He asked, as she made herself decaf coffee, tossing two slices of bread into the toaster.

"I'm just in from work. Paramedic," she said proudly, although the tiredness in her eyes told another story. "I always work late shifts, but they wanted me to do late evening first to get back into the swing of things. I've been off work recently." She stops talking after that, aware that he likely didn't care. She buttered her toast and spread jam on it, adding milk into her coffee and eventually collapsing on the seat opposite Lon'qu. He too had a mug of coffee, and had piles of paper spread over the table. It didn't bother her, but he seemed insistent on moving them around.

"Why are you still up?" She asked.

"Working. Or I was, until you came in."

"I won't stay long, don't worry."

"I'll go to sleep soon. I've got more than half my work done, and tomorrow still to do it in."

"What are you doing?"

"Marking exam papers."

"Oh, are you a teacher?" Robin asked, finally figuring it out.

"Yeah."

"What age do you teach?"

"Ten and eleven year olds," he said, a hint of a smile on his face. "This is preparation for tests for them moving school."

"Oh, right! I never pegged you as a teacher."

"What did you think I was?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I kinda thought a chef. You... look like a chef."

"I suppose you and Tharja have had conversations about me," he muttered, staring into his coffee mug.

"We have yes. But I'd be surprised if you'd never talked about us to anyone."

"I have," Lon'qu admitted, "but not bad things. I just find you all... weird."

"I don't blame you. But between you and me, I'm the least weird one," she smiled. It was her mission to make him feel more comfortable, but she wasn't sure this was the way to go.

"I figured that out after dinner today."

"Oh, so you went."

"And I'm not in a hurry to go back."

"Oh, they're not so bad. You get used to them."

"After how many years?"

"Twenty six," Robin laughed. "I've known them all my life. They're both older than me, so have always pretty much seen me as a sibling."

"Are they related?"

"No. But we're all from the same place in Plegia."

"Right."

"Sorry. I'm sure you don't really care about all this," Robin laughed, scratching her neck.

"I should know, since I live with you. It'd be rude not to know." His face had softened slightly, as he tidied his piles of paper.

"Are you ever going to tell us about Chon'sin? You seem very mysterious."

"Maybe some other time. It's late. I should sleep."

"I doubt you'll be able to with all that caffeine in your system."

Robin grabbed the coffee pot, along with their empty mugs and her plate, setting them beside the sink. She lifted her discarded uniform and folded it over one arm. Lon'qu left his marking in his bag on one of the seats, and followed Robin hesitantly out the door, flicking the light switch on the way out. They walked upstairs together, and Robin paused at her bedroom door, waiting for him to say something. Having such a conversation with him was strange, she had to admit, and didn't really know what to say to finish the evening.

"Good night," she settled on, retreating into her room and closing the door.

"Good night, Robin," he said to the closed door, a curious frown on his face.

* * *

"Did you know that Lon'qu was a teacher?" Tharja asked when Robin eventually resurfaced at one p.m. on Sunday afternoon. She had a cup of coffee ready for her, and Robin gratefully received it.

"He told me last night, yeah," she said, sipping on her coffee.

"He's doing marking in the kitchen now. I don't want to disturb him, so I didn't make you anything. Sorry."

"It's fine, I'm not really hungry yet."

"Wait, did you say last night?" Tharja smiled, latching onto the nugget of information Robin had provided her.

"Yeah, he was still up when I came home last night. I didn't really think he was a night person, but he was marking then too."

"Did you have a moment?" Tharja said, her smile morphing into a grin as she changed the TV channel.

"Why are you like this?"

"Don't avoid the question."

"I don't think we did, no. I don't like him like that!"

"Sure. I'll remind you of that at your wedding."

"You said the same sort of thing about Chrom, and I broke up with him after two weeks."

"I have a _feeling_ about Lon'qu, though. Henry and I will do checks on him to make sure he's suitable for you."

"Stop trying to set me up!" Robin complained, disappearing into her tea cup.

"If you're so against me doing it, you should put yourself out there more," Tharja shrugged.

"I'm not really interested in being in a relationship at the minute."

"Says the person who has a stash of wedding magazines under her bed."

"Hey, Maribelle left them there," Robin pointed out.

"And you didn't throw them out," Tharja challenged. She had a point, and Robin couldn't say anything in response, so she was silent, sitting with a pout on her face, knees drawn up to her chin. "I've got you now, haven't I?"

"This is why I avoid you most of the time, Tharja," Robin said, hopping up and disappearing into the kitchen.

"You're only making this worse," Tharja called after her, laughing when Robin was out of earshot.

* * *

After the first day back at work, Robin was drained. It was a struggle to dress herself into her uniform, which she had dumped on the floor when she had gone to bed. Her jacket was a lot heavier than she remembered when she slung it on over her vest. At least it did it's job, though- it kept her warm while she was under stress. And at least her uniform fitted her, unlike the girl she'd met with yesterday, who's jacket seemed to swamp her arms, making her hands useless. Robin yelled her goodbyes to everyone else in the house when she reached the door, eliciting a response of 'wait!' from Tharja, who appeared from the kitchen a few seconds later.

"I thought you got Sundays off."

"I do. But I'm working today to make up for all the other days I missed."

"Oh. Well, I threatened to curse Lon'qu, just thought you'd like to know."

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"He said he was going upstairs and skipping dinner."

"And was that really necessary? And why are you holding me up to tell me?"

"I think so, since he's now finishing dinner. I'll set some aside for when you come in."

"That's thoughtful."

"Oh, and I stopped you because Henry and I are planning on drinking and I didn't want you to be shocked when you came in."

"Great. I'm going to be late, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"That's all."

"Brilliant. Bye!" Robin said, turning on her heel and locking the door behind her. She got into hr car and screamed at the steering wheel before driving off in the direction of the hospital.

* * *

Say'ri was a quiet woman, Robin quickly discovered. For her, this was excellent. She had enough people at home who liked to yell at her and were unnecessarily loud, so to come to work knowing she was able to have a bit of peace was good. Say'ri was level headed and calm, the exact sort of thing that Robin was not. She was more likely to scream if something particularly bad happened, rather than react rationally. So when they arrived the scene of someone falling from a balcony resulting in a double open fracture, Robin was immensely glad that she had such a collected partner.

It was a long day- once they got back from that, they passed the patient and his friend over to Emmeryn and her team to work their magic on him. And then they were away again, just past the outskirts of Ylisstol where the city melted into the countryside. Here, an old woman had fallen in her home, with what Robin suspected was a broken hip. And again, in the city centre, where a young child with no history of epilepsy had a fit. Robin was exhausted by the time she clocked out. It was dark out, and as a favour to her new partner, she offered her a lift home to spare her the expense of a taxi.

"Thank you for welcoming me into the team, Robin. It means a lot."

"No problem. My original partner did the same for me when I joined, and I did the same for Ricken. I wouldn't leave anyone on their own. How have you been finding it so far?"

"Good. Emmeryn is a good supervisor, and showed me about on the first day. I find it very rewarding to work in such a situation," Say'ri said. Her voice was very serious, and was ever so slightly unsettling for Robin.

"When you are helping to save people's lives, it definitely is rewarding. Makes you feel good about yourself, too, like you can actually help to do some good in the world."

"Oh, it's just in here," Say'ri said, pointing out the window at a tiny side street that Robin wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Robin pulled in, and Say'ri jumped out of the car. Robin turned the car while Say'ri went inside, offering her a small wave when the door was opened to her by a man with white hair that looked similar to the shorter woman.

Robin sighed. It was now approaching three a.m., and she still had to drive across town to get home. Her eyes were closing, and she knew she had to get home as soon as possible, before she fell asleep at the wheel. She pressed down hard on the accelerator, cutting through backstreets to get further down the main road towards home. When she finally did make it home, the living room light was still on, and Robin sighed, knowing that that only meant one thing- everyone was still awake. She parked the car outside, locking it as she got out. She put her key in the door, already wincing for whatever she could discover in the living room.

"Good evening," Henry said, a smile on his face. On the table was a monopoly board, with various drinks scattered around it, most notably coffee cups.

"I thought you said you were drinking?" Robin asked, balancing herself on the arm of the sofa.

"We were, but Henry thought it'd be more fun to play monopoly with Lon'qu," Tharja informed. "We're only still at it because he takes so long to make any moves."

"I told you I have no idea what's going on," he excused, glaring at her.

"We explained the rules to you multiple times."

"Let him be, Tharja," Henry said, moving his piece the required amount of places.

"You're on my land, so pay up," Tharja demanded, holding her hand out. Henry counted the plastic notes out and placed them in her hand. She colour coordinated them into the large pile she had by her side, before rolling the dice herself.

"We don't have this where I come from," Lon'qu explained to Robin, who had ignored half of the previous conversation.

"We don't have this where we come from either. Maribelle taught us, and since these two are so competitive, it gets brought out pretty often."

"The murder mystery one is better," Tharja commented, moving her piece along.

"We can play that one tomorrow," Henry said.

"Should you all not go to bed? It's three a.m."

"Yes, but we're having so much fun."

"Who's winning?" Robin called as she walked into the kitchen to retrieve her dinner from the fridge.

"Tharja, of course," Henry called.

"Does she always cheat?" Lon'qu said, causing raucous laughter from Henry.

"Always, always! I don't even know how she does it, but she definitely does. It's slightly worrying."

Robin waited for the microwave to ping and tell her that her food was ready. She set it on the counter and grabbed a fork. She discarded her uniform as she always did, leaving it on the kitchen floor in favour of throwing an oversized jumper on. She took her food into the living room, where Tharja and Henry were arguing about how she was cheating at a board game. Robin sat down on the other side of Tharja, near where Lon'qu was sitting on his phone, laid back in the arm chair. She ate her food without another word, tuning out the sounds that were making her head hurt.

"Did you make this?" Robin asked through a mouthful of vegetables, pointing her fork at Lon'qu who looked slightly bewildered.

"Yeah. An apology for not eating with you the first week."

"It's good."

"Thanks."

"I told you I thought you were a chef. And I was right, see?"

"I can't believe you. I made one meal- and that's the only thing I can make."

"Will you stop flirting with him! It's his go, idiot," Tharja said, glaring at the white haired girl who shrunk back into her seat. She stole a glance at Lon'qu as he moved his piece, and noted that his face was just as red as hers felt.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You should run for president, Robin!"
> 
> "Imagine," Robin said, in a tone that reminded her too much of her father.
> 
> "That'd shock him," Tharja drawled, tapping her fingers on the leather of the sofa.

"Robin!" Henry called, dragging her rudely out of her slumber and into reality. It had been a few weeks since the monopoly incident and thankfully she hadn't come home to anything like that since. She rolled herself out of bed, throwing on a jumper and her slippers so she was warm enough. It was rare for someone to wake her up, and she couldn't recall a time when it was ever Henry that decided she needed to get up, Looking at her clock, she saw that it was only ten a.m., and she figured that something big must have happened. Robin padded downstairs, seating herself in the arm chair with her legs crossed. Sunday morning meant that everyone was there, and the TV was on, with everyone staring intently into it.

"Election results are coming in," Tharja explained, and Robin's face paled. Since living in Ylisse, she had mostly missed any developments about the election on the news- it was only reported when something big actually happened, such as this. But due to her father being one of the candidates, she received constant text updates from him at after every speech, every rally. Robin had left her phone on the table when she came in last night, and was surprised when she lifted it that it still had battery left.

There were four missed calls from Validar, and she sighed, swiping the away. He was currently in the lead, according to the news, and Robin hoped for her sanity that he would stay that way- he wouldn't get mad then, and since she was his only living family, he'd be over to Ylisse within the hour to torture her. He wasn't a bad leader, exactly, but his methods were slightly unconventional and it made it hard for Robin to completely endorse him. And of course, he was also the leader of the Grimleal.

Robin dashed to get dressed as the results continued to trickle in, Validar's bar on the new's chart growing steadily. The other candidates moved too- yet Validar pulled ahead by a mile, and when Robin returned from changing, he had reached 48% of the vote.

"So how does this all work? The voting system," Lon'qu asked from his chair, scrolling on his phone presumably to figure out the Plegian voting systems.

"As many candidates as want can enter," Henry explained. "First person to fifth percent of the vote wins, and if no one gets to fifty percent by the time all the votes are counted, whoever has the most votes wins."

"And this Validar was the president before right?" Lon'qu asked again. Tharja and Henry's eyes both swivelled round to Robin, who conveniently turned her attention to the TV.

"He's really popular," Tharja filled in. Lon'qu's eyes fell onto Robin, who still refused to turn her attention from the TV. She got up to make herself coffee, taking her time over pouring milk and sugar into her cup. She sat down again as Validar's bar reached fifty percent.

"And there it is," Tharja said, relaxing slightly.

"I'm so glad we don't live there anymore," Robin sighed.

Her phone screen lit up with an incoming call, and she sighed, pulling herself to her feet to take the call. She knew who it was without even looking at the caller ID- she was only expecting one call today. Robin knew that her father would call to gloat, rather than just texting her. He had won in a landslide, that much she knew, but she had done a good job of ignoring his texts so didn't quite know how his campaign in general had gone.

"Hello?" She asked, trying to do her most pleasant voice despite only being awake for half an hour at most with only a few hours of sleep.

"Hello, darling," her father drawled, and she could hear the cheers of his supporters in the background.

"Congratulations, dad. In for another term!"

"And another after that if all goes according to plan, I should think."

"I wouldn't want to get ahead of myself," Robin laughed. "Don't jinx it."

"I won't, darling. An excellent win for me. Are they covering it on the news in Ylisse?" Validar asked, almost suspicious.

"Of course. Just like they do with all elections- it's been the top of the TV all day. We're all watching it, even the housemate who's not from Pl- not from home," she corrected, knowing the use of that word would sweeten him up.

"You better not be living with any Ylissians, Robin," Validar warned. There was an edge in his voice that made Robin's blood run cold.

"He's from Chon'sin, so no need to worry about that," Robin sighed.

"Good. Wouldn't want you fraternising with the enemy."

"You do realise Plegia and Ylisse aren't actually enemies, right?"

"Well..."

"Historically, perhaps," Robin sighed. It annoyed her that he ignored major details like that, but she let him continue anyway, too tired to argue with him.

"Anyway, I have some celebrating to do, so I'll let you get on."

"I'm sure you do. Have fun, dad."

"I'll talk to you later Robin dear. Have a pleasant day!"

She hung up then, resisting the temptation to throw her phone against the wall. She moved back into the living room, perching on the edge of her seat with her phone still in her hand. She pulled up the local news website, trying to glean as much information as she could, even while the results were still new and the votes were still technically being counted. Tharja's eyes were trained on the white haired girl, while Lon'qu and Henry were still watching the TV. Robin looked up eventually, meeting Tharja's eyes.

"Was that him?" Tharja asked, and Robin nodded slowly. The older girl didn't really need to ask- it wouldn't really have been anyone else.

"Was that who?" Lon'qu said, joining in on the conversation.

"Just my dad."

"Ah."

"Don't forget," the news anchor called, "applications for the candidate for our own president close in two weeks! The race will begin soon, so get in early!" Henry turned the TV off after that, and all four of them continued to stare at the black screen until Henry spoke up.

"You should run for president, Robin!"

"Imagine," Robin said, in a tone that reminded her too much of her father.

"That'd shock him," Tharja drawled, tapping her fingers on the leather of the sofa.

"Who are we talking about now?" Lon'qu asked, utterly confused at the vague conversation that was going on without him.

"My dad, again," Robin clarified, and he went back to his phone without another word.

"You should, though. You're good at politics."

"Don't you have to be from a country to run for president? I'm an immigrant; I don't think that'd go down well."

"Oh, yeah."

"They took the age limit away here, didn't they?" Henry spoke up for the first time since proposing the idea.

"It's still over forty back home," Tharja agreed.

"Funnily enough, I don't think this country is ready for a young president."

* * *

Chrom and Robin were still on surprisingly good terms even though they had broken up. It was probably due to the fact that they didn't really have a messy break up and had gotten on well as friends before their first date. Often he phoned her, and they would spend hours talking about work and their home lives. Since discovering that he was related to Emmeryn, she had somehow found him easier to get along with- he was like his sister- kind hearted and calm. They had been out for coffee once or twice, and Robin had recently discovered that he was now dating a ballerina by the name of Olivia. Not that she minded- he was perfectly entitled to move on, and from the way he talked about her he did truly seem to like her in a different way than he seemed to like Robin.

Tharja still talked about him whenever she said she was going to meet him. Part of her was still convinced that they were destined to be together, but Robin thought otherwise. She still didn't feel anything for him even after all the time they had known each other. She would rather they stayed as friends anyway- gods knew she needed friends other than those she lived with. Chrom was sane, and like his sister would do anything for Robin. And while perhaps, in another life, they could've potentially been soulmates, she resigned herself to the knowledge that they would never be together.

It was Henry's turn to do the food shopping that particular week. Fridays were usually his day off, but he had been in work the last few weeks for no reason other than he wanted to be. Robin sat at home, having showered and made lunch for herself. The TV automatically changed channel at four o'clock for her to get caught up on Saturday night shows- that was essentially what Fridays were for for her. She was expecting to watch gritty dramas, but was not expecting a phone call from Henry.

"What do you want?" She asked. It wasn't supposed to be rude, but it came out that way, and Robin cringed. "Sorry, I was about to start watching a show. Is something the matter?"

"Yes. I'm at the supermarket and I just got a phone call from Lon'qu."

"Why did he phone you? Should he not know you're out?"

"Between you and me, I don't think he likes speaking to women."

" _Oh._ "

"Anyway, he's lost."

"Lost? How is he lost?"

"Look, if I text you his phone number, will you go and find him and bring him home?"

"Sure, because I don't have anything better to do," Robin sighed, already turning the TV off and getting to her feet.

"You literally told me you were watching TV," Henry said in his usual knowing tone. "Please?"

"Alright, alright."

"I told him to expect your call."

"Great, thanks."

"I'll see you later!" Henry chimed.

"Bye."

Within seconds, Robin had received a text with Lon'qu's number in it. She was hesitant to call him- there had always been something awkward between the two of them. And if Henry was right about Lon'qu not liking women, well, that explained a lot and made things easier. She made a new contact for him, assuming that she would need to call him again sometime. Then she pressed call, holding her phone up to her ear, sighing as the phone dialled. Eventually he picked up, and Robin held her breath for a moment.

"Hello?"

"Hi Lon'qu, it's Robin."

"Henry said you'd phone."

"Yes. Do you know where you are?"

"No," he said hesitantly.

"Can you describe where you are? I know the city pretty well, so I should be able to figure out where you are."

"I'm near a main road. There's a park behind me and a telephone box on my right."

"Is there a bench?" Robin asked, on her way to the door, car keys in hand.

"Yeah."

"Sit there until I come and get you. You know what my car looks like, right?"

"Yes," Lon'qu sighed.

"I'm on my way. Hold tight!"

There were a million things she could be doing that were more useful than picking up her housemate, yet Robin was in her car, driving to somewhere that wasn't truthfully that far from their home. How he had managed to get himself lost was anyone's guess. He'd managed to get himself home every other day, and she wasn't too sure why he'd picked today of all days to lose his way. As she pulled up outside the park, she saw him sitting on the bench just like she'd instructed him to do. She had to park a while away, the only available space at this time of day, and got out to find him.

"Hey," she said casually, standing in front of him.

"Robin," he replied, getting to his feet.

"So tell me, how did you get lost?"

"I'm tired, and I took a wrong turn and suddenly had no idea where I was. I wandered for a while and ended up here."

"Right. Well, let's go home."

They walked side by side, and Robin had to stop herself from laughing at his get up. He was so sensibly dressed compared to how she usually saw him in the evenings and weekends. His bag was slung over his shoulder, and he held another carrier bag filled with paper. She got into her car and he clambered in the other side, moving the seat back to have room for his legs.

"Have you got lost before?" Robin asked, avoiding putting the radio on for once.

"Yeah, once or twice. Usually I've just hailed a taxi, but I have no money on me today.

"You could've just phoned us. I'm usually in."

"I don't want to be a bother," he explained, staring out the window.

"You're not being a bother," Robin sighed. "You live with us, and you can depend on us for things like this."

"I guess."

"How about I pick you up every day from school? If you're getting lost, it'll at least show you the most direct route."

"Isn't it going out of your way?"

"Not really. I don't start work until late, so it doesn't bother me, before you say that."

"It's fine with me."

"So, what school is it you work in?"

"Holy Naga Primary," he told her, finally looking over at her. She nodded and smiled, confident in the knowledge that they possibly could become friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the short chapter, i have a lot of work this week including an exam so.... i tried,


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You must be Robin! Lon'qu's..." 
> 
> "Taxi."
> 
> "I was going to say friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about late update xoxo

Lifts became a regular occurrence for Lon'qu. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was glad of Robin's insistence in coming to pick him up. She always waited outside the gates for him, and usually phoned him to tell him where she'd managed to get a space. Her green car wasn't particularly hard to miss, and more often than not she hung out the window waving to him. And that was impossible to miss.

On a day when Lon'qu was due to come out late from school, Robin parked outside the gate as usual, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. She had the radio on, but turned it down when someone knocked on her window. She pushed the button to put the window down, and stared blankly at the woman standing there. She was dressed in a suit, and her long hair tumbled down her front. She looked slightly frazzled, and Robin automatically came to the assumption that she worked in the school.

"Sorry, you can't park here!" She said, to which Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Yes, it's blocked within school operating hours, which is still another hour I'm afraid. You'll have to move."

"I'm just waiting for someone. He'll be out in a minute."

"Ma'am, all after school clubs were cancelled today. Perhaps you didn't know?"

"E-excuse me!" Robin cried, outraged that the woman would suggest that she was old enough to have a child here. "I'm waiting for a teacher, thank you very much."

"Miss, I'm sorry, but that doesn't mean you can park here!"

"Look, okay, I won't do it again. But he'll only be a few minutes, so just leave it, okay?"

"Can I ask what this staff member's name is?"

"Lon'qu," Robin said, her mouth pressed into a straight line. All of a sudden, the woman's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together.

"You must be Robin! Lon'qu's..." she hesitated, and Robin interrupted before she made something up.

"Taxi."

"I was going to say friend."

"That too, I suppose."

"Look, if you're coming after for him, you may as well park in the staff car park. Since Lon'qu doesn't have a car of his own, there's always an empty space, so you can have his. You'll need a badge of course, but I can get that sorted for you tomorrow, and send it with Lon'qu... oh but we're closed tomorrow and I won't see him on Monday because there's a training for me and the others..."

"Why don't you post it? We do live together, after all," Robin said, leaning back in her seat.

"I thought you were friends?" The woman asked, narrowing her eyes.

"House sharing. He moved in with us a while ago."

"Right. Well, I should be off. I'll post that access badge out to you!"

"Thanks," Robin said hesitantly, and then the woman was away, her heels clicking as she walked home, out of Robin's view. She was so self important, Robin decided, as she pulled into the car park, finding the first space she could and staying there. It felt strange to be allowed the privilege of parking here, and the first thing she did was grab her phone from the space under the radio. She tapped on Lon'qu's name, and the call went through.

"Hello?" His voice came from the other side.

"Guess where I am," she teased, and he sighed.

"I am in a meeting, but I had to step out because you called."

"Right, sorry. You didn't tell me that."

"I know. Anyway, everyone else is leaving, so I guess I can too." She could hear his mumbled goodbyes to his colleagues, and then his footsteps, presumably back into his room to lift his things. "Where are you, then?"

"In the car park."

"Robin, you're not allowed to be in there."

"Your receptionist told me I could. Well, I think it was a receptionist."

"I'm on my way out now," he said, and with that he appeared. Robin hung up, and waved nervously from the window, a smile on her face. He ran a hand through her hair, and wandered towards her, clearly sighing. He got in his side of the car, and sat with his hands on his knees before she spoke and he relaxed into the seat.

"The receptionist gave me a hard time before she let me in."

"Sumia?"

"I didn't get her name."

"Brown hair, kinda chubby?"

"Don't be rude!"

"I'm just describing for your benefit."

"Well, yeah."

"She looks sweet but she is well known for being hard to deal with."

"I'd rather not deal with her again."

"I'll have a word."

"Anyway, I was thinking. Have you ever had froyo?"

"What?"

"Froyo," Robin repeated.

"Never heard of it."

"Well, it's my favourite desert, so I'm taking you."

"Robin, you already do enough for me without taking me for whatever froyo is."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm mainly just using you as an excuse to get it for myself, okay?"

"Fine. But I have things to do, so it can't take too long."

"It won't, I swear," Robin grinned. "And you'll love it. I guarantee!"

* * *

After a drive of about twenty minutes or so, most of which was taken up in finding a parking space, and another ten minute walk, Robin and Lon'qu entered the froyo place. She had to instruct him on how to make his bowl of ice cream- she usually picked a combination of flavours and covered it in toppings, but she kept it simple today for Lon'qu's sake. She went with chocolate yoghurt with toffee pieces and fudge and caramel sauce, while he went with coconut, a flavour that Robin had to admit she'd never tried before. He went all out with the toppings, and Robin had to laugh as she paid for it, his bowl coming to a heftier price than hers usually did. The found a seat in one of the booths, sitting across from each other and silently eating their ice cream.

After a few minutes, Lon'qu took out his phone and took a picture, before going into his own world. Not that Robin was complaining- she had only bought him here so she could get food (and she reckoned if he didn't say anything negative they could probably make this a semi-regular thing.) A couple sat down in the booth opposite from them, and Robin glanced over briefly, not really taking them in. A second later, when she could feel them looking at her, she looked again, the man waved at her. She broke into a smile then- the blue hair was a giveaway. She waved back at Chrom, and her movement caught Lon'qu's attention. He looked up from his phone, and he raised an eyebrow, shocked, when he saw the girl Chrom was sitting with.

"Long time no see," Robin joked awkwardly.

"How are you doing?"

"Good! Back at work, busy busy. How are things with you?"

"Decent enough. I heard you work with my sister."

"Emmeryn, yeah. Lovely. Best person I know, to be honest."

"Oh, this is Olivia," Chrom said, gesturing to the woman sitting across from him. She had been twiddling her hair around her fingers, but smiled and nodded at Robin when she was introduced.

"I've heard of you. Prima ballerina, right? Nice to meet you."

"Y-you too!"

"I'll let you two get on," Robin said, knowing that continuing the conversation at this stage would be pointless.

"Nice to see you again, Robin."

Lon'qu's eyes were still trained on the girl with the pink hair, and she seemed to still be stealing glances at him too. Eventually he turned back to his ice cream with barely a sound, almost angrily spooning the desert into his mouth. Robin raised an eyebrow, and he looked up from his phone to send her the most disapproving look he could muster. She suppressed a snort, idly finishing her ice cream and coffee before leaning back in her seat. Lon'qu finished his mountain of froyo soon after and practically threw his spoon down.

"Do you want to go?"

"Yeah."

The two left the diner side by side, wandering in silence back to the car. Robin had to wonder what had made him like that so suddenly. Was it her conversation with Chrom? He had been all but left out of it, and she was sure that Tharja had filled him in on their previous relationship- that was Tharja's self imposed job, after all. Perhaps it was Olivia- the two seemed to know each other, but from where Robin couldn't figure out. Or maybe he just hated froyo, and she wouldn't have an excuse to go there often any more.

"Is everything okay?" She asked as they sat in the car, before she turned the engine on or even did her seatbelt up.

"Yeah."

"Did you know that girl?" There was a long pause before he answered.

"Yeah. She's my ex."

"Funny," Robin mused, a hint of a laugh detectable in her tone. "He's my ex too."

Lon'qu raised an eyebrow at that, but he neglected to make whatever comment was floating around in his brain. Robin was thankful of that- whatever it was, it was likely rude, or at the very least immeasurably sarcastic. She turned the key in the engine, paying attention to the road instead of the man beside her. Tharja likely would've made dinner by now- they'd taken that long getting from school and then in the froyo place.

Robin's hunch was right, of course. As soon as she and Lon'qu crossed the threshold of the house she was on them, arms folded across her chest and glaring at the door. She was perched on the fifth stair, her foot tapping on the carpet. Robin hung her coat up and swanned into the living room without another word, while Lon'qu stared her down until she got up to follow the object of her affections. Robin sat down at the kitchen table, drumming her fingers on the table. Henry was already sat there, a large pile of paper in front of him.

"Why did you take so long to get home?" Tharja asked, slamming a plate of food- Plegian curry, to be specific- down in front of both Robin and Lon'qu, who had joined them.

"Froyo," Robin said simply. There was no use lying, Tharja would figure it out eventually.

"Froyo," Tharja repeated.

"Lon'qu had never had it before, so I decided to treat him."

"And is that all you treated him to?" Tharja said, smirking.

"Yes," Robin said, narrowing her eyes. "And we met Chrom and his new girlfriend when we were out."

"Oh? Now that's an interesting story," Tharja mused as Robin speared a piece of chicken on her fork.

"Not really. She's a lot prettier than me, and she's a ballerina." Robin left out the part about her being Lon'qu's ex- that would only add fuel to Tharja's fire.

"Oh, the one that was on the cover of that magazine last week?" With a nod of confirmation from Robin, Tharja continued. "I would pick you over her any day."

"Good job you don't have to make that decision then, isn't it?" Robin said through a mouthful of rice. Henry looked up from his work and snorted, and Tharja turned away, her hair swishing behind her as she went to make a start on the dishes. Within a few minutes, Robin had finished the plate of food and was upstairs without anyone even noticing she was gone, putting her ugly work clothes on over the comfy things she'd been lounging about in all day. She bid her goodbyes to Henry and Lon'qu and held a glare with Tharja for almost thirty seconds before escaping into the night.

* * *

Friday nights were one of the worst in the hospital, and Robin was run off her feet the entire night, resuscitating patients and driving around the city and patching up injuries. By the time she got back to her car, she was ready to fall asleep. But she had to drive home, and the bright lights of the road were making her head hurt. There was nothing else she could do, though- no one else in her house could drive (and had no intention of learning to do so, she noted). So she drove down backstreets, where the lights weren't as bright and the roads weren't as busy. When she pulled up outside the house, all the lights were still on, and the dull thud of music oozed from the walls. Robin hit her head against the steering wheel before biting the bullet and going inside.

When she got inside, there were people sitting about everywhere, drinks in hand, and Robin's heart sunk even further, if that was even possible. Lon'qu was sitting on the stairs in a similar place and position to where she saw Tharja earlier. Except this time, there was someone with him- Tharja was alone. She didn't recognise the girl on his arm- she had long coral coloured hair, and her clothes left very little to the imagination. Lon'qu looked desperately uncomfortable, and was fending off every single one of her advances like a pro. As Robin moved down the hallway, someone noticed her, their eyes going wide.

"Police!" They cried, and everyone else in a five metre radius turned to look at her. She threw her hands up in the air, a panicked expression on her face.

"Not police! Ambulance!" She responded, her words failing her. Lon'qu shook the girl on his arm off and moved through the crowd of people towards her. She shed her jacket, tossing it in the vague direction of the coat rack, it landing on a sad heap on the ground.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, still standing a good five feet away from her.

"Fine. I just want to go to bed, and I come to this," she said, glancing around vaguely. "Where's Tharja?"

"She went upstairs with s-someone a while ago," Lon'qu explained, and Robin couldn't help but pick up on the stutter in his voice.

"Of course. Henry?"

"He left as soon as people started arriving."

"I'm surprised you didn't. I didn't think you were the partying type."

"I'm not. And I wish I had. This is getting too much for me. Do you know how many girls have been all over me since they arrived?" He asked, rhetorically, his face red and his hands shaking.

"Go to bed. I'll deal with this."

"I'm not leaving you on your own while there's all these drunk people about."

"Do you not think I couldn't fight them all off?"

"That's not it."

"What is it then?"

"Doesn't matter," he said quickly.

"Have you been drinking?"

"No."

"Okay, good. Do you want to help me clear this out, then?"

"With pleasure."

* * *

For once, Robin was downstairs earlier than Tharja was. The pharmacist was usually awake first over everyone, but this Saturday was different. There was first the telltale two pairs of footsteps as robin smirked over her coffee, then the front door slammed and Tharja appeared alone, collapsing into her usual chair, her head in her hands. Robin slid a mug of black coffee towards her, and she groaned as she downed it, getting up for a glass of water and paracetamol.

"Fun night?"

"Definitely," she smirked. "But the worst hangover. Where's Henry?"

"Gods knows. He left last night. Probably at work by now."

"Nice," Tharja commented lazily. Lon'qu presented her with fried eggs and toast, and she glared at it for a moment before deciding it wasn't worth her effort to resent his.

"Who was that girl?" He asked, and Robin raised an eyebrow, admiring his bravery.

"No one you need to worry about."

"You don't know her name, do you?" Robin countered, and Tharja rolled her eyes.

"You haven't brought any nice boys home in a while, Robin. You should get on that soon."

"Tharja," Robin hissed in a tone of warning, but it was too late and the damage had already been done. Lon'qu turned bright red at her implication, and disappeared, mumbling something under his breath that neither girl could catch.

"No need to be embarrassed!" Tharja called after him. "Sex is a perfectly natural thing!"

"Thanks, Tharja," Robin sighed. "Just when I thought we were making progress. Now he won't even be able to look me in the eye!"

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic. He'll come round eventually."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't take prisoners. Or didn't, rather."

"Oh, you're here," Tharja commented as Henry sat himself down for dinner. "We'll have dessert to celebrate." Her tone was dry yet hid the joy she felt at one of her best friends actually being home for once.

"It's my day off, I've been here all day."

"On some of your other days off, you're not here, so it's a reason to celebrate."

"Alright, if you say so!" Henry said, not about to complain at the prospect of dessert.

"Where are the other two?" Tharja asked, ladling soup into bowls and peering at the steak she left in the oven to cook slowly.

"Robin is in the living room asleep and Lon'qu is upstairs."

"Go wake her up. She has no business napping at this time of day."

"Maybe we should leave her?" Henry said nervously.

"She told me to wake her up for dinner, Henry," Tharja drawled, and Henry shot up, her glare more than enough to move him.

"Yes ma'am!"

Robin was dragged into the kitchen still half asleep, stifling a yawn as she sat down. Tharja presented her with soup, sighing as she went into the hall to yell up the stairs at Lon'qu. Within a few minutes he too appeared, glaring at the food in front of him. They ate in uncomfortable silence- Tharja was in a strange mood, and nobody really wanted to talk to her, lest they get on her bad side. It was only when her second course- a classic Ylissian roast- that she decided to talk, clearing the air.

"We should go out tonight, Henry."

"I'm working tomorrow," he excused.

"Then don't drink. Besides, aren't you working late afternoon and evening?"

"You got me," Henry laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I suppose there's no harm in going out."

"Robin, you can drive us, right?"

"Have you ever heard of a taxi?" She said, glaring daggers across the room at Tharja. As the only one who could drive, this expectation was often put on Robin, and today was a day that she wanted more than anything to just have a bath and stay at home.

"Yes, her name is Robin."

"Very funny. Thanks for the invite, by the way."

"I knew you wouldn't want to come, but I didn't think you'd be as stingy as to not give us a lift."

"What can I say, I'm full of surprises," she said dryly.

"Lon'qu, are you coming?" Henry asked, his tone hopeful more than anything.

"No thanks."

"Fair enough."

"Well you two have fun," Tharja said, raising her eyebrows at Robin who just rolled her eyes.

"I'll be going to bed early, since I'm on morning shift tomorrow."

"You, doing a morning shift? Never thought I'd see the day."

"I don't mind it! I just can't get up early usually because I work late shifts. So excuse me, _princess_."

"Watch your mouth, Robin. Some people might think you're flirting with me."

"Ha," Robin laughed, not an ounce of mirth visible on her face. "In your dreams, Tharja."

"Exactly."

"You disgust me."

"Are we having desert or not?" Henry interrupted, his plate cleared.

"I'll go find something," Tharja said, her facial expression not changing as she got up.

"Why are you working early, Robin?" Henry asked. She sighed- she didn't really want to go through explaining the whole thing, but Henry would likely find out anyway, given they worked in the same place.

"Emmeryn's off on maternity leave, so Phila is covering her shift and her space is empty so I offered to swap shifts with her since Phila's replacement that is now my replacement has a child and can only work night shifts since their husband works during the day."

"That's... one hell of an explanation."

"Tell me about it. We're waiting on hearing about Emm's baby any day now. It'll be exiting to say the least. First staff baby in years. Well, in my department at least."

"My department's overrun with children as it is, so I don't suppose there'll be too many of the doctors looking to give birth any time soon."

"The nurses in resus are bad- you should hear them, always going on about how they need to get married in the next two years to fit in with their life plan."

"Imagine having a life plan," Tharja said, rolling her eyes. "I've never been one for making plans. Spontaneity is the essence of life."

"Well, you're not a nurse in resus in the general hospital, are you? They all have life plans. Every single one of them."

"It's true!" Henry attested. "They're never up on our ward, but I've been down there to take kids up and they're wild. Five minutes and they'll have talked your ear off!"

"I don't know any of these people, so I don't understand why you're bitching at me about them," Tharja said, finally pulling ice cream out of the freezer, followed by a bag of frozen berries.

"Sorry, sorry! Look, I've been looking forward to this desert since I sat down, are you going to dish it up or what?"

* * *

Robin cracked open a bottle of wine almost the second the door was closed, pouring the white liquid into a glass while Lon'qu did the dishes. She was hesitant in asking him if he wanted a drink too, but he told her he did without her having to. It had been a long day for her- covering the shortages of staff in the hospital had messed up her perfected sleep schedule. And it was only going to get worse- she had another few weeks still to go like this- or longer, if Emmeryn got her way and stayed off as long as she possibly could. Once Lon'qu was done cleaning up, he took his glass into the other room, and hesitantly she followed him, sitting in the armchair Henry usually claimed as his own. Before he moved in, Robin usually took the other armchair, but Lon'qu liked sitting there, and she wasn't about to complain.

"Long week?" He asked, his tone unsure and his face uncaring.

"Yeah. The usual. You?"

"Not too bad."

They settled into a comfortable silence- after the few months he had been living here, Lon'qu was probably most friendly with Robin, although he still tried to avoid her at all costs. He would tend to gravitate more towards Henry, but the two were so different that there wasn't much to talk about. In fact, Robin had noticed that Henry had been distancing himself a lot as of late. But that wasn't her business- if he was ever comfortable enough to tell them why he was disappearing a lot, he would. The TV blared in the background, and Robin tuned out the sound, concentrating on her book- a heavy medical textbook that she didn't really need to read. In fact, she tuned out all the background noise so much that she didn't hear Lon'qu talking to her until he practically yelled her name.

"Robin!"

"Yes?" She said, flinching a little at the volume.

"I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Why did you three come to Ylisse? I thought Plegians were supposed to hate Ylissians?"

"Yeah, they are," Robin answered, closing her book and setting it on the coffee table. She took a sip of wine before she sat back in her seat, ready to explain. "In Plegia, you can go one of two ways- into the military, or into public service. IE, be a doctor or a fire fighter. Unless you're the best in your field, you can't be an artist or a musician or a poet or an author or anything like that. So to avoid going into the military, we became doctors. Well, I became a paramedic, Henry a paediatrician, and Tharja a pharmacist. And because there's a shortage of doctors here... here we are."

"It's that simple?"

"Sort of," Robin bluffed.

"But why would you leave your home country unless you had to?"

"Why did you leave Chon'sin, then?" Robin countered, going on the offensive to defend herself from a swathe of questions she'd rather not answer.

"I went to Regna Ferox to become a boxer," he answered, not missing a beat.

"... You're _that_ Lon'qu," Robin figured, her eyes wide with realisation.

"It's not exactly a common name."

"I never put it together before, though. Why Ferox? What's there?"

"Basilio," he said simply. "The best trainer in the whole country. The whole world, I would vouch. But then I broke my wrist and he told me to stop because I was getting too old anyway. So he paid for me to go through school and I became a teacher."

"So, do you teach PE?"

"I teach everything. It's young kids. But I do get roped in to teach other teacher's PE classes," he laughed, a slight smile gracing his face. Robin smiled at that- it was rare to see one of his smiles, and she had to admit they were beautiful.

"I'm sure you're a great teacher. But hey, I really didn't know that was you! The Plegians hate you, mostly, after you beat our own so viciously."

"I don't take prisoners. Or didn't, rather."

"I always favoured you though," Robin commented without thinking, and after a few seconds her face turned bright red and she reached forwards for her book once more. "Or maybe I just hated the Plegian contender."

"Th-thanks, I guess," Lon'qu managed to stutter out, and when she glanced up at him a few minutes later, his attention had moved to the TV, completely away from her, but his face was redder than she knew hers was.

* * *

The rest of the evening passed in uncomfortable silence. The two were constantly excusing them from the room for one reason or another, going just about nowhere for just about no reason. At one point, Robin wandered into the kitchen with the attention of getting herself another glass of wine. She had already drunk two, but when she tipped the bottle up for a third, only a few meagre drops came out. Lon'qu must have drunk the rest of the bottle, presumably to drown his sorrows- or more accurately, his embarrassment. She didn't mean to embarrass him so, but in hindsight it was funny, even though she felt somewhere in the same region of mortification.

At ten o'clock on the dot, Lon'qu turned the TV channel over from Robin's bad comedy show to the news- she had already been informed that he enjoyed watching the news every time it was on by Henry. The top article on the news was the upcoming election- Robin had completely forgotten that was coming. She couldn't vote anyway, as she still had Plegian citizenship (not that she would have it any other way), but she thought it was only right to keep up with the local politics. It was a presidential election, and five candidates flashed up on the screen- five headshots of four men and one woman, one of which Robin recognised.

"Is that Chrom?" She said, shimmying forward in her seat.

"Looks like it."

" _And here, Ylisse, are the five candidates that will be battling their way to the presidency. A preliminary election will be held in two weeks time, in which three candidates will be eliminated. After another six weeks, another will be held, and whoever gets the most votes will be announced as the president of Ylisse. Let's meet them all in detail."_

Robin stopped paying attention after that- too in shock that her ex boyfriend was now attempting to become the president of Ylisse. It was only when his picture flashed up on the screen again that she tuned in.

" _Chrom Shepherd is a lawyer from Ylisstol itself, and rose to fame in his profession not too long ago when he took on the monster case involving a triple murder- his client was found not guilty, and now he wants to put the country in its correct place. His father was President a long time ago, and he intends to follow in his footsteps."_

Robin sat transfixed at the news- never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined he would have the chance to become president of the country she was now residing in. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket, tapping on Chrom's name in her contacts list. The phone rang for a while but eventually he picked up.

"Robin?"

"I just saw the news."

"Oh, right. I have about four hundred calls coming in now because of this."

"I won't keep you long, then."

"No please, stay on the line. I'd much rather talk to you than I would talk to them."

"Oh. Alright. Well, I didn't know you were intending on becoming president."

"Well, my dad was, so I've always wanted to follow in his footsteps."

"I would say you have my vote, but I don't have a Ylissian citizenship, so..." Robin said, tucking her feet under her.

"No, no! Your support is enough for me. My father was rather unpopular, and I'm not sure how well I'll do."

"I wish you good luck. I know well how hard it is to run a campaign." Lon'qu's eyes fell on her then, and she glared at him to stop. He shrugged and turned his attention back to the TV- clearly, he didn't really want to know the particulars.

"You do?" Chrom asked, a hint of how impressed he was in his voice.

"Y-yeah," Robin managed. "In Plegia I used to work in graphic design before I left school." It wasn't entirely a lie- she had helped her father out on a number of occasions before.

"Oh, right! While you're here, do you want to come to a rally I'm holding? It's in the town square. Next Saturday. At... twelve."

"At the clock? If I'm not working, I'll be there! Oh, and while I'm talking about work, has Emm had her baby yet?"

"No, no. Two days until her due date. When it happens, I'll give you a call."

"Thanks. Phila and I said we're going to visit her, and I doubt she'll be thinking much about us straight after giving birth."

"I doubt that," Chrom laughed. "Look, I'm going to have to go, answer all these calls. To be fair, some of them are actual friends and family."

"Don't let me keep you. Good luck with your campaign!"

"Thanks, Robin. It means a lot."

"Goodnight!"

"Goodnight."

Robin sighed as she hit end call, tossing her phone onto the table. Tharja would have killed her if she knew that she had phoned up her ex for a casual conversation. But Robin didn't feel bad- in fact; it was quite liberating to be able to talk without any sense of awkwardness, like the friends she had promised they would be when they ended whatever romantic relationship they had.

"If you broke up with him, why do you still call him?" Lon'qu asked.

"We were never really going out, so there was nothing to break up. And besides, have you ever heard of males and females being... friends?" Robin suggested icily. It took a moment before Lon'qu responded.

"Like us?"

"Yes," Robin said simply, her heart rising at the thought that he considered her a friend. He was so awkward and silent for so long when he first moved in. And now he talked to her and she saw him smile on more than one occasion- none of them forced at all.

* * *

Robin decided to go to bed before Tharja arrived home, drunk and likely incapacitated. As she turned to go upstairs, something outside caught her eye. She moved down the hall, glancing out the window. A car was parked outside, the windows tinted and the lights on. She recognised it- it often sat across the street from her house. But she didn't know who it belonged to. All the cars in the street she had come to recognise over the past few years, but this one often sat outside at night with the lights on, and the driver still clearly inside.

"Lon'qu," she called softly, so not to startle the driver into leaving. He stuck his head around the corner of the living room door, looking bewildered. She beckoned for him to come closer, and he complied as she turned back towards the window. "Do you recognise this car?"

"I don't know who owns it. But I've seen it before."

"It sits across there or in front of the house a lot."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah. Probably not," Robin conceded, and turned her back on the car as it drove off into the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What?"
> 
> "She's totally into you."
> 
> "What?"
> 
> "I said, she's tot-"
> 
> "No, I heard you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bet you thought youd seen the last of me

Robin enjoyed nothing more than her daily sit in her car in the car park of Lon'qu's school. After the stressful six to three grind in the hospital, to sit in the car was calming, just watching the teachers and pupils spill out of the school. With piano music on in the background, it gave her time to get a quick nap before getting on with her day. Switching shifts had really messed with her sleep schedule, and even a few weeks after the swap, she still hadn't really managed to get into the swing of things.

After the usual half an hour of her sitting there, Lon'qu emerged from the side entrance of the school. There was a younger teacher bouncing along beside him, her blonde pigtails tied impossibly high on his head. She was mere inches away from grabbing onto his arm, and Lon'qu looked more uncomfortable than she had ever seen in his life. That was, of course, until the woman walked away and got into her own car, a tiny yellow car that somehow matched her personality perfectly. Lon'qu opened the car door on his side and slid into his seat, hitting his head against the headrest of the seat. Robin didn't move off for a moment, and sat with a smirk on her face until Lon'qu turned to her.

"What?"

"She's totally into you."

" _What?_ "

"I said, she's tot-"

"No, I heard you," he huffed, looking out the window.

"Are you going to do anything about it?"

"Other than ignore her, no."

"Why not?"

"I'm not interested in her."

"Right."

"Have you got anything to drink at home?"

"One of those days, huh?" Robin smirked, and finally began to pull out of the gates of the school. "Yeah, I'm sure we can have something to drink."

"We?"

"You think you're going to drink the alcohol I bought without me? In your dreams. Though admittedly, after finding out you're a former boxer, I'm a little unwilling to fight you."

"I wouldn't fight you. Or anyone. Outside the ring, that is."

"Right, right, okay. Well, I'm sure we can mix you up something. Tharja's actually pretty good at cocktails, despite her unwillingness to do anything usually."

"It's probably because it had alcohol in it," Lon'qu said, a hint of a laugh in his voice. He leaned forward to skip through the songs on Robin's CD, stopping at one of the faster tracks. Robin raised an eyebrow at him, and he sat back again, trying his best to his smile.

"Funny to think we've known each other long enough that you have a favourite out of my CD collection."

"Actually, the composer of that piece was from Chon'sin. I remember visiting his house in school."

"I didn't know you were into classical music."

"Only a bit. I used to play piano, but I wasn't very good."

"We have a piano. You should play sometime."

"Maybe, yeah."

* * *

When Robin informed Tharja of their plan to make cocktails, she threw the rest of her plans for the night out the window and headed straight for their alcohol cupboard, which she had definitely bought the majority of. She brought out a variety of bottles and within a number of seconds; a glass was sitting in front of her and all of her housemates. Lon'qu lifted his without hesitation and downed it almost in one go, slamming the empty glass onto the counter and staring Tharja dead in the eye, She arched one elegantly shaped eyebrow before pouring him another drink, ignoring him the next time he slammed the table with his glass.

Robin had rarely seen him drink, never mind drink so much. She always thought she was good at drinking, but he was on a whole other level. It probably didn't help that both Henry and Tharja were lightweights- after three drinks they went to bed, with Tharja complaining already. Robin remembered that when they were in Plegia, Tharja was a renowned drinker, but that had longed changed. She was wasted after just those three drinks, but to be fair, Robin hadn't watched her making them, and they could've had a ridiculously high alcohol content.

Once they were gone, Lon'qu poured himself another drink, hovering the bottle above Robin's glass, waiting for her consent. She nodded groggily, and he poured out a regular glass of wine. She was glad they weren't doing shots- she was terrible at that. But she reckoned if Tharja got her way, that might happen next weekend. Lon'qu still hadn't shown any signs of the alcohol getting into his system. On his second glass of wine, however, he screwed the lid on the bottle and set it aside.

"Robin," he said, his voice thick and his face flushed.

"Yes?" She asked, trying to stop the world from spinning in front of her eyes.

And of course, he didn't make it any better, by leaning forward and kissing her, his lips just grazing across hers to begin with, but finding their place interlocked with hers mere moments later. Robin could tell immediately he was inexperienced, but grabbed the collar of his shirt regardless, pulling him closer to her. In one swift movement he lifted her up and set her on the counter, positioning between himself between her legs that automatically wrapped around his back. As his hands made his way down her back, the kitchen light clicked on. Lon'qu pulled himself away within an instant as Robin's legs dropped anticlimactically down. He was practically on the other side of the kitchen before she realised it, and Tharja could do nothing but stare.

"I just... wanted a drink of water," she said weakly, in a way that Robin had never heard her speak. She was tired and hungover, and confused, but the hidden laughter in her voice was evident. Robin hopped off the counter before there were any repercussions from either of the others in the room. Her mind was still hazy, but she could still make out every painstaking second of the events that transpired, even when she buried her head under the blankets and shut her eyes tight.

* * *

Robin woke up the next day to Tharja yelling from the bottom of the stairs. With a groan, she rolled over, pulling a pillow over her head to block out the noise. Mere moments later, her bedroom door was thrown open rudely. Robin, an expert in avoiding Tharja, pretended to be asleep, keeping her eyes tightly pressed closed. The older woman pulled the covers from her friend, who reflexively curled up to avoid the chill of the air. Knowing there was no way to pretend she was still unconscious, she opened her eyes slowly, rubbing at them to prolong Tharja's lecture.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Tharja said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Why did you wake me?"

"Because it's two o'clock. In the afternoon."

"That doesn't stop you normally. And I'm not working until tomorrow morning."

"That's not it. Two o'clock, we've all had lunch, and Lon'qu had destroyed the kitchen trying to make a cake. Or something that looks like a cake anyway."

"And that is my problem why?"

"Because the kitchen is a mess. And you're the one that's good at cleaning."

"Oh, for gods' sake..." Robin grumbled, swinging her legs over the side of the bed into a fluffy pair of slippers. She grabbed a sweatshirt from the side of the bed and pulled it over her head before storming past Tharja and practically running downstairs. When she arrived at the kitchen, her worst fears were confirmed. There was flour everywhere- both in and outside of the mixing bowl, and in every crevice of every tile on the floor and walls.

"Lon'qu made a cake," Henry informed, swinging his legs off the kitchen table, out of the line of fire from the flour.

"Define made," Robin deadpanned, lifting a brush from the cupboard and throwing a cloth towards Lon'qu.

"Attempted," Henry clarified. "Although there is a solid form in the centre of this that may qualify as a cake." He laughed at the end of his sentence, and Robin shot him a death glare. True to his word, there was something almost resembling a cake, the right colour but not quite the right shape. It had two tiers, messily stuck together with chocolate icing, and 'I'm sorry' written on the top of it in Lon'qu's messy handwriting.

"I don't care why you were making a cake on a Saturday morning-"

"Afternoon," Henry corrected.

"But you need to clean this up. I'm too tired for this shit, and Tharja woke me up yelling  _and_  I have a hangover." She started sweeping up a tiny pile of flour on one tile, moving on and on until Lon'qu started to clean the work surfaces. "And don't use any water."

He could barely even look at her, and she avoided eye contact with him too as she swept the floor. Henry's eyes flickered between the two of them, a knowing smirk on his face. Lon'qu had told him earlier that the cake was an apology for being so awkward when he first arrived. But upon further inspection, Henry could tell that that wasn't exactly it. There was more to it than a simple apology for being shy and reserved, something that ran a lot deeper than he could ever imagine. He didn't  _know_. He wasn't a witness, but he could tell more than the two of them could tell themselves.

* * *

Robin often took to angry piano playing whenever she was in a bad mood. Her piano skills were hit and miss, but today they were particularly good as she hammered her way through only the most depressing of sonatas and nocturnes. Tharja stood in the doorway, rolling her eyes every time Robin made a mistake and brushed over it in the hopes of playing louder to cover it up. The younger woman was full of rage for some reason today, and as she held the last chord of the piece, Tharja wandered into the room, clapping slowly.

"Why were you listening?"

"Your therapy sessions are rather loud and hard to ignore."

"I'll play with the mute pedal on next time then," Robin muttered.

"I was going to ask you why you were playing like... like that, but I assume you don't want to tell me."

"You already know, Tharja," Robin sighed, swivelling around on the piano stool.

"Do I? I can't recall anything that would be bothering you, other than your messed up sleep schedule due to work."

"You don't... you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"You don't, then," Robin realised.

"Given the fact that I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm going to go with yes, I don't remember. I did drink a lot last night, you are aware."

"I know."

"So are you going to tell me what it is?"

"My dad," Robin bluffed, and as if on some magnificent cue, her phone buzzed with a call that lit up the screen with 'Validar'.

"Still not getting along?"

"When will we get along? He still wants me to go home, even though I've told him I'd rather live here."

"You've never played such depressing music in relation to your dad before, though."

"C minor is a good key for venting."

"I have no idea what that means," Tharja drawls, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, keep it down, because I don't want to have any noise complaints. Your C minor can be played with less vigour, no matter how depressed you are."

"I am not  _depressed_ , Tharja."

"You need to find yourself a man. You're only content when you're getting some."

"That is literally not true."

"You should try flirting with Lon'qu again, he seems to like you." Tharja sits in the centre of Robin's bed, folding her legs underneath her. She makes it abundantly clear that she's not going anywhere, so Robin swings her legs over the side of the stool to make herself more comfy.

"Again implies that I've flirted with him before."

"You definitely have."

"Name one time."

"I'm not sure, but I get a  _vibe_."

"Right," Robin says, narrowing her eyes. She's not convinced that Tharja doesn't remember what happened, but brushes off her comments as nothing more than a coincidence.

"Anyway, the faster you-"

"Stop right there."

"What did you think I was going to say?" Tharja smirks, and Robin flushes.

"Whatever."

"Anyway, you should try some of the cake. Even after the disaster that was the kitchen, it tastes pretty good."

"I'll have some later."

"Oh, and by the way, your phone has been ringing for the last half an hour, nonstop."

"It'll be dad still."

"Yikes. I wouldn't answer either."

"I'm not calling back," Robin says, swivelling back to face the piano, her fingers covering the keys for a chord that Tharja knew would sound terrible.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm still laughing about you doing pre drinks, though. What are we, teenagers?"

After the stress of the last month or so, Robin found that there was nothing better to sooth her sores than a long shower. She probably used up all the hot water every day, but she truthfully couldn't find it in herself to care. No one had complained to her yet about it, and she wasn't about to ask anyone if they found they had enough hot water. It wasn't the sort of thing you start conversations about.

She dried herself off with the fluffiest towel she could find, and wrapped another around her hair to absorb some of the water to save her time while blow drying. She wasn't working today, and upon hearing that news, Tharja had immediately planned a night out, with details to be ironed out when the pharmacist got home. Robin made her way downstairs to pull clean laundry from the line, praying that her t-shirts would be dry. If she wasn't going out until later, she certainly wasn't about to dress as if she was. To her horror, when she entered the kitchen, she discovered that she was not alone as she thought she was, as Lon'qu stood behind the ironing board, a pile of neatly folded clothes beside him. If it was any other time, she would have been thankful for him ironing their laundry, but now, Robin just wished the ground would swallow her up.

"Why are you not at work?" She all but yelled at him, too stunned to do something sensible like leave the room and pretend that that didn't just happen.

"P-put some clothes on," He retaliated, lifting the first t-shirt off the pile and throwing it at her.

"That's what I was trying to do," Robin hissed, before slinking out of the kitchen, top in hands. Fortunately for her, it was one of her own, but unfortunately, she was never going to forget or live down what she would most definitely rank as the most embarrassing moment of her life to date.

Once she finally dresses herself, Robin flops down in the middle of her bed, staring at the ceiling. All of her plans for the day thrown out the window. She planned to have a quiet day and a loud night, but Lon'qu in the house, that wasn't really going to be possible. Not that he was loud, not by any stretch of the imagination, but his presence was enough to disturb her from doing nothing. Unless he locked himself in his room again, which she doubted, because he'd been doing that far less often as of late, she was going to have to deal with looking at him and his stupid handsome face all day.

And of course, as soon as that thought entered Robin's head, her day was ruined even further.

Perhaps Tharja was right after all, as loathe Robin was to admit it. Perhaps she and Lon'qu would be good together. But that wasn't something she particularly wanted to think about, because once she let herself consider that possibility, she could easily fall down a deep hole of daydreaming and find herself in a place where she would really rather not be. So instead of moping in her room, she decided that she would go and confront Lon'qu and his stupid handsome face.

He was still in the kitchen when she managed to make her way downstairs, after at least ten more minutes of stressing. Now though, he was seated at the table, with stacks of exercise books on either side of him. He looked busy, thankfully, so Robin quietly made coffee before leaving. Of course, since her luck today has been nothing but abysmal, he lifted his head and spoke to her just as she was about to leave the room.

"It's a bank holiday today."

"Huh?"

"You asked me earlier wh-why I wasn't at work. It's a bank holiday today," he explained, eyes carefully trained on her face and nowhere else.

"Oh. Right."

She left the room then, speedily walking away from a situation that was quickly becoming uncomfortable for the both of them, despite very few words being said by either party. She settled on the armchair with a novel that she bought from the used book store across town last week, tuning out the outside world and any thought of the man that was situated in the room behind her. It was only when Tharja entered loudly, Henry behind her, that she moved, setting her book on the table.

"Right," Tharja said, in the tone of voice that suggested she was about to make a plan. "Henry is going to make dinner tonight, and then we're going to have pre drinks, and then we'll go out." Henry nodded behind her, before wandering into the kitchen to make whatever food he could. Robin knew for a fact that Henry was a terrible cook, but as long as there were carbs involved, she couldn't complain too much- pasta was almost impossible to ruin, and if he had any sense, he would just cut some bread.

"Have you decided where we're going?" She asked Tharja, who shook her head.

"I was going to leave that decision up to you."

"Good," Robin said with a smirk. "I discovered today that Lon'qu is very easily flustered."

"How did you come across that information?" She pondered, and then paused, staring straight into Robin's eyes. "What did you do?" It wasn't a question, more of a demand; a 'tell me right now or you'll regret it'.

"Nothing intentional, I swear. Anyway, I say we go to that one club that's not too far from here, the one we accidentally went to that one time and you-"

"The one that Henry said shouldn't be so close to the church?"

"Yeah, that one." Robin raised an eyebrow in an attempt to egg Tharja on, who sits back in her seat in contentment.

"That sounds like a brilliant plan. And of course, we invite him."

"I'll drive, so we don't have to pay for a taxi."

"Aw. That's a shame."

"I'm still laughing about you doing pre drinks, though. What are we, teenagers?"

"Being drunk before you get there is always more fun. Then we can do shots."

"I am not dealing with you doing shots."

"It's fine, someone else will," Tharja cackled. "Get dressed, then."

* * *

Planning all of this was one thing, but inviting Lon'qu was another. He had a million excuses up his sleeve- he had work tomorrow, he was supposed to call his mother, he wasn't feeling well. But these all fell on Tharja's deaf ears, and eventually he relented. Robin had to give him credit- they were all very valid excuses, unlike the ones she generally managed to produce. But there was no saying no to Tharja, as she learned many years ago. Part of the paramedic felt bad for dragging Lon'qu out, especially since he would definitely feel uncomfortable, and the other part revelled in the idea of seeing his face when they reached their destination.

She was probably spending too much time around Tharja.

As per the older woman's instructions, she picked out an outfit- something that made her look not too out of place for the venue, but also doesn't attract  _too_  much attention. She wasn't looking for attention, not tonight. When that thought hits her, she had to sit down, but refused to think about  _why_. With glitter on her eyes and her hair up she deemed herself ready to go out, and practically ran downstairs to find that Henry has in fact cooked pasta, and for once it's entirely edible, and she would maybe go as far as to say it tasted good. Lon'qu is already halfway finished his plate, and Tharja arrived a few minutes later, all dressed up, and picked at pasta with a desert fork. Robin suspected that Tharja kept an alcohol supply in her room, and her behaviour now almost confirmed that. She would really have to ask Tharja about alcoholism.

"Are we ready to go?"

"Let me do the dishes before we leave," Lon'qu offered, but Tharja shot him down without a second of hesitation.

"Don't put this off, Lonky. We're leaving." She swanned out of the room, Henry following her with a shrug. Pre drinks were completely forgotten about (Tharja having enjoyed them on her own). Lon'qu looked to Robin for clarification on what was happening, and was met with a blank stare.

"What did she just call me?"

"No idea."

"I really don't want to go," he confessed.

"Tharja will kill you," Robin warned.

He reluctantly got to his feet and trudged out of the house, Robin following moments later with her clutch in hand. When in the car, she started up a different playlist, one that wasn't 'grim' as Tharja put it. Neither Henry nor Tharja were a fan of Robin's classical music, so usually their car rides were done in silence. Even Lon'qu was beginning to get bored of her piano music (even though they had switched to 20th Century oboe music for a while). But Robin was prepared this time, with a playlist full of cheesy hits that were more fun to listen to than they were good music. By the time they reached the nightclub, everyone was in high spirits, and even Lon'qu had cracked a smile. It was when she saw that that Robin thought that maybe she should've let Lon'qu stay at home.

She would be lucky if he ever spoke to her again.

The bass from the speakers in the club could be heard even outside in the street. The neon of the sign illuminated their faces in flashes of pink and blue, Robin's hair practically glowing in the dark. Tharja wrapped her arms around her two Plegian friends as they make their way inside, the queue outside short as it was a Monday. Inside was still fairly busy, however, and as Tharja lead the way through the crowd to the bar in the back left corner, Robin could feel Lon'qu practically shrivel up behind her.

Tharja had once likened the place to a strip club, although there were no strippers. She just referred to the way the girls dressed, and the fact that there were frequently men who went purely to ogle. The three of them had only been there on one occasion, and Tharja had picked up more than one girl then. By the way she was getting on already tonight, Robin suspected that the same thing might happen again.

Henry dragged Robin onto the dance floor, something that was sort of a tradition for them. Tharja, as was Tharja, made her way to the bar, with Lon'qu following her, but sitting at the opposite end. When she put her mind to it, Robin found that it was easier to have fun with Henry and ignore everyone else than it was to deal with either of them. Sure, it wasn't guilt free, but Henry's constant grin made it easy for a smile to eventually make its way onto Robin's face. That was, of course, until he began to speak.

"So, what's up with you and Lon'qu?" He asked, practically yelling at her to be heard over the music.

"What? Nothing!" She yelled in return, although her face betrays her, her cheeks flushing red, something that Henry picked up even in the near darkness of the club.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes,  _really."_

"Because I just find it strange that he'd make a cake to apologise for being anti social a loooong time after he started being, well, social."

"And what do you theorise he made the cake for then?"

"That I'm not so sure of," Henry finished with a wink. "But I'll find out."

Robin was confident that he wouldn't. Henry was all talk, no action. Besides, he'd got nothing out of her, and she was sure that Lon'qu would be even quieter on the matter. He seemed just as embarrassed as she did about the whole thing, and could barely make eye contact with her any more. Their car rides home from school were what she was dreading- uncomfortable silence was not her forte. What really scared her was if Lon'qu told her not to pick him up at all. She wouldn't put it past him, and honestly, she wouldn't blame him. So instead of wallowing in self pity on the dance floor, moving with only some semblance of rhythm, she stormed towards the bar, where there was a seat beside Lon'qu. He seemed to exude an aura that repelled people from him. Either that, or they were all crowded round Tharja, who seemed to exude a more magnetic aura. Robin slid into the seat beside Lon'qu and called the bartender, who had cropped red hair, over to order a drink.

"I thought you weren't drinking," Lon'qu offered.

"I could say the same to you," she shot back, nodding her head at the half empty glass in front of him.

"Just one."

"Mine's non alcoholic," she explained, trying to keep hostility between herself and Lon'qu to a minimum.

Robin's drink, which is probably ninety percent ice, is placed in front of her, and her hands automatically reach out to grab it. It was a comfort thing really- if you're in a club, you need to have a drink. She sipped at it intermittently, glancing at Lon'qu to her right and Tharja to her left from underneath her hair. Her eyes eventually stayed on Lon'qu, and she has to open and close her mouth a few times before she can speak.

"Need something stronger?" The bartender asks with a wink- Sully, if she remembers what Tharja said right.

"N-no, no thank you," Robin managed to get out before Lon'qu gave her a look.

There's so much she wants to say to him, and by the way he looked at her, she can tell he has a lot on his mind too. But talking to him honestly is like opening a can of worms that she would really rather ignore. So she turned away. Simple as that.

* * *

Tharja was still surrounded by people when the others decided it was time to leave. Robin shouted over the droves to see if she wanted to go home with them or stay out, but the woman dismissed them with a wave of the hand. With a shrug, Robin turned to a silent Lon'qu and a slightly inebriated Henry and led the way through the rapidly waning crowds on the dance floor and out into the street. The air outside was cold, and Robin instantly regretted dressing to look cool rather than to be functional. If Chrom were here, she would've been offered his jacket, but Henry and Lon'qu either didn't notice or didn't care. So Robin kept her mouth zipped and clambered into the driving seat.

The ride home was punctuated by Henry singing along to the last few songs on the playlist from earlier. At first, Robin thought that Lon'qu didn't know the songs, despite most of them being Ylissian in origin, rather than Plegian. But she catches him humming along, not daring to embarrass himself by singing along. She parked the car outside the house and Henry lets himself in first, muttering something about needing coffee before he goes to bed (how that worked, Robin would never know). Lon'qu headed in next as Robin locked her car, but Robin caught his elbow to stop him from going in.

"Wait."

"Hm?"

"Do you... do you still want me to pick you up from work tomorrow?" She asked, her voice unusually squeaky.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"No reason. Good night." She checked her watch before adding, "or should I say, good morning."

"Good night, Robin," Lon'qu said, the side of his mouth quirking up slightly, barely noticeable.

It was only when she was lying in bed that night that she realised she really needed to stop thinking about him so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi im back again. im on a roll so expect more chapters soon!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We got out early today. I called you. You didn't answer. So I had to stand with her and wait."
> 
> "Sorry, I turned my phone off. Is she really that bad?"
> 
> "She's very... friendly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these chapters get shorter and shorter r i p why cant i have the fanfic problem of my chapters being too long
> 
> s/o to my irl ireland friends who read this i lvoe them,

The late hours of a Thursday night, or Friday Morning, as Henry kept pointing out, on most weeks were filled with sleep. Everyone had work in the morning usually, and even if that were the case today, no one would be sleeping. Instead, three out of the four residents of the house were glued to the TV. The election results were coming in, and even though none of them had voted, they were still eager to know who won. There was a lot of political analysis that none of them really understood, with light up diagrams and panels full of people predicting what will happen if any of the potential candidates make it into office.

Tharja had gone to bed ages ago, claiming she didn't care enough to stay up late to see the results. She could see the results in the morning when she checked her phone, she reasoned, and Robin had to agree- she had only stayed up because Henry had begged her to. Lon'qu, while present, was practically asleep in the armchair. Only Henry was paying full attention- Robin was on her phone, scrolling mindlessly through the internet.

The bars at the bottom of the TV screen ticked up slowly, each one colour coded for each candidate. Chrom's bar, the only one Robin truthfully cared about, was coloured a dark navy, and was going up little by little, just ahead of everyone else's bar. As the night drew in more, the results eventually were tallied up, and Chrom was overtaken by one of his political elders in the end. While not particularly surprised, Robin had to admit she was disappointed. Chrom would've made a great leader, and it was his dream to become president. With the results finalised, Robin turns the TV off and bids goodnight to Lon'qu and Henry.

* * *

Robin's phone woke her the next morning, a lot later than she had intended to sleep in. She didn't have to clock in for another few hours so it wasn't a problem, but the incessant ringing was going to give her a migraine before the day even properly began. Sitting upright and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with one hand, she felt around on the floor for her mobile with the other. The light from the screen was bright enough to make her want to shut her eyes again, but she perseveres, until she reads that the name on the screen is Validar.

"Hello?" She asked, reluctantly accepting his call.

"Good morning, sweetheart. How are you doing?"

"You just woke me up." Her voice is dry, letting him know how annoyed she is that he decided this was an opportune moment to call.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Shall I call back later?"

"No, it's fine. I have a busy day."

"Oh good. I was wondering, since it's your birthday next week, if you'd like to come home? For the weekend," he added hurriedly, as if Robin couldn't guess what his true intentions were.

"It's not my birthday until the week after next. December 6th, not November. Is your memory alright, dad?"

"It's fine. I... well, I was really thinking that you could have an extended break."

"I can't take time off work for no reason."

"I'll have a word with your employer. Ylisstol General, correct?"

"Do not dare, dad. I need that money so I can pay rent this month, and my car will need serviced at the start of next month too."

"I can send you extra money if you're struggling. And if you lived here you wouldn't need to pay rent!"

"I'm not struggling," Robin sighed. "My rent costs are cut a lot because I house share, and I do work full time, as you seem to ignore as a fact. I just need to be careful with my money, that's all."

"Alright, alright. If you change your mind about birthday celebrations, the offer is always open."

"Of course. Thank you for the invitation," Robin mumbled, before her father cheerily wished her a good day and hung up. She tossed the phone somewhere into the covers and lay back down.

Did it make her a bad daughter if she didn't want to go home? She mostly thought no, but a little part of her considered herself a traitor to her family. Not that she had much of that- it was just her and Validar, with her mother long out of the picture and no brothers or sisters to be seen. It wasn't upsetting in any way, and truth be told, she was glad she had escaped Validar's clutches. Not to mention Ylisse was a lot nicer weather wise too.

Robin dragged herself out of bed eventually, and wandered into an empty kitchen. One glance at the clock set her heart racing- three thirty in the afternoon meant she had to be at Lon'qu's school in less than half an hour to pick him up. She forwent food for now, trekking back upstairs to dress herself. When that was done, she quickly made a sandwich that was stuffed in her mouth as she drove to the school. It was a rather unbecoming sight to anyone who drove past her car, but she reckoned that no one would be paying close enough attention to what she was doing while driving.

When she pulled up in front of the school, Lon'qu was already standing there, his usual bag slung over his shoulder and another at his feet. The girl from before was talking to him animatedly, practically hanging off his arm, and Lon'qu's face told Robin that her timing couldn't have been better. He got into the car without another word, and the girl waved enthusiastically at both of them before heading to her own car. Lon'qu turned to Robin, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"We got out early today. I called you. You didn't answer. So I had to stand with her and wait."

"Sorry, I turned my phone off. Is she really that bad?" Robin managed to get out without bursting into laughter.

"She's very... friendly," Lon'qu explained politely.

Robin struggled not to snort at that. "I can tell."

"Are you working tonight?" he asked, effectively changing the topic.

"As usual."

"I'll likely be up late marking tonight, since exams are next week, so don't be alarmed if I'm still awake when you get in."

"It's really not healthy to stay up that late."

"You do."

"I'm practically nocturnal, Lon'qu," Robin deadpanned. "Besides, your body gets used to it if it's trained properly."

"I guess you're the doctor, so you actually know."

"You know, you're the first person in a long time to actually refer to me as a doctor. Tharja just calls me an ambulance driver."

"I'm pretty sure you've told me that before."

"Probably."

She sighed loudly as she pulled into their street, parking in her usual space outside the house. Lon'qu unlocked the door and wandered in first, with Robin locking the door before heading upstairs to change for work. It's not really time to go yet, but she wanted to eat before she left, and she had to make food since Tharja had said she wouldn't be home- it was stock take tonight. Once changed into the clothes she wore underneath her work gear, she made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen.

Lon'qu stood in front of the fridge, checking the to-do list that he stuck up there at the start of every week. Robin placed a hand on his upper arm in an attempt to move him out of the way so she could get to her food, but instead of just moving, Lon'qu responded in a very different way. He spun around, grabbed Robin's arm and spun her with him, pushing her back into the fridge with his palm resting beside her head. His face is so close to hers, and by the time he realises what has happened, his face has turned entirely red and he's backed away.

"I'm sorry. R-reflexes. From b-boxing."

"I-it's fine!" Robin squeaked in response. He hurried away, leaving Robin to make her dinner in a state of shock.

* * *

Robin made her way into work with her head held down in front of her. Her brain refused to stop replaying that one moment over and over again, a memory that she knew was going to be burned in her head forever. Lon'qu's face was so close to hers,  _again_ , his body just inches away from being pressed against hers. If their relationship wasn't awkward enough already, it certainly would be now.

"Oh, Robin," Emmeryn called as she entered the locker room.

"Are you on now? I'd much rather it was you than Raimi," Robin laughed with a grimace. Raimi took no prisoners when it came to things being completely on time and done one hundred percent by the book. Emmeryn on the other hand understood that shortcuts were often necessary for the smoothest possible running of her department.

"Fortunately for you, I am. And lucky you, away for two weeks? Where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Robin said, confused as to what Robin was talking about.

"Really? You have the next two weeks booked off."

"I haven't booked anything, though... wait, is Raimi still here?"

"She should be, my shift doesn't start for another half an hour. Why?"

"I'll explain later. Be right back!"

Running was forbidden in the hospital for good reason, so Robin walked around to where Raimi's desk would be as fast as her legs would take her. The short haired woman was there, as Robin hoped, and only looked up from her computer when Robin leaned on the desk.

"Robin. What can I do for you?"

"Did my father phone?" Raimi was disarmed for a few seconds, before she gathered herself to answer.

"He said there was a family emergency and you had go back to Plegia, so I booked two weeks off at his request."

"There is no family emergency, Raimi. He was lying. So you can give me my shifts back, and I'll call and tell him that was out of line."

"He... lied?"

"That's what he does. Anyway, I don't want those two weeks, so can you please update the schedule?"

"Sure. What if he phones again?"

"Tell him that family members can't arrange shifts or something, I don't know."

* * *

Validar picked up on the first ring.

"Two calls with my daughter in one day? You'd think the world was ending."

"Why did you call my work and book two weeks off? I told you earlier today that I couldn't do that!"

"And what else would you be doing on your birthday?"

"Spending time with my friends, perhaps? I have that day off work anyway, so we had plans to go out."

"You know I don't approve of your friends. I never have."

"I'm well aware, thank you,  _father_."

"Don't take that tone with me."

"Why are you still treating me like I'm a child? I'm twenty six!" Robin yelled. "Never contact me again. This is getting ridiculous. I move countries to get away from  _you_ , but yet you still have a grip on me! Good bye."

She hung the phone up after the briefest of calls and tossed it on the passenger seat, where it buzzed one more time with an incoming call, this time from Lon'qu. Her thumb hesitated over the green accept call button for a moment before tapping it, bringing the phone up to her ear.

"What?"

"Your shift is over now, right?"

"Right. I was just about to leave. Why?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted food for when you get home. S-since it's late, and all."

"If you could make me waffles, that'd be great," Robin answered, struggling to keep her breathing steady.

"Waffles?"

"There's a waffle maker in the second cupboard from the fridge. Just follow the instructions and you'll be fine."

"They'll be here when you get home."

"Thanks."

"Are you okay, Robin?"

"Fine! I'll be home in ten minutes."

"See you then."

Robin's drive home was never very interesting. Today was no different, apart from the fact that Robin constantly had to check she was breathing. If someone was in the hospital in this state, she would've told them not to drive, but she pushes through anyway, blinking tears out of her eyes. When she reaches the house, Lon'qu is waiting for her at the door.

"Are you crying?"

"No," Robin said stubbornly, turning her head from the man in front of her.

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing. Can I just have my waffles?"

She pushed past him into the kitchen, stripping off her uniform as she went. She sat down at the table, resting her head in her hands. Lon'qu's work is scattered across the table, and once he enters the kitchen, he passes a plate of waffles towards her. He sits opposite her, clearing the mess off the table. She cut up her waffle, but can't bring herself to put it into her mouth.

"Hey," Lon'qu called gently.

"I'm fine."

"You're crying."

"I'm not!" Robin sniffed. She managed to get a mouthful of waffles into her mouth, followed by a second and a third, until the whole waffle is gone. It didn't taste great, but waffles were an Ylissian thing, and there was a good chance Lon'qu had never made them before.

He got up to go to bed, lifting his bag as he goes. Robin stood quickly, making her way towards him and grabbing his sleeve to stop him. Reflexively, he shook her off, pulling his arm away from her as if it was on fire. He turned slowly to face her, their eyes meeting, holding each other's gaze. Robin took a step forward and rested her head on his chest, burying her face in his jumper as she finally let herself cry. Not wanting to be rude and pull away, the only thing Lon'qu could do was wrap his arms around her and let her cry.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's your birthday."
> 
> "And how is that relevant to whether or not I'm boring?"
> 
> "She's supposed to put up with you today even if she thinks you're boring."

Robin's phone rang on and off all day. Neglecting to pick it up all day, the gaps between the calls gradually became shorter, until the intervals were only five minutes apart. When it rang for the third time at dinner, Tharja took matters into her own hands, swiping the phone from across the table and hovering her finger above the accept call button. She doesn't even look at the caller ID, instead holding eye contact with Robin until she breaks.

"It's...  _him_."

"Oh, right. Makes sense."

The phone stops ringing.

"The next time he rings, I'm answering it. He's just being annoying at this point."

"Don't you dare," Robin threatened, spearing a piece of broccoli with her fork and waving it at Tharja. For the next four minutes and thirty three seconds (not that she was counting), the table sat in silence until the phone rings again, piercing through the silence and causing Robin to flinch. Sticking to her word, Tharja answered, putting the call on speaker so everyone can hear.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" Came the voice from the other end. "Who is this?"

"It's Tharja."

"Oh." Validar couldn't sound more disappointed if he tried. "Can you put Robin on for me, please? I don't know what you're doing answering her phone in the first place."

"She's having a nap right now, sorry."

"She hasn't answered her phone all day."

"She was at work this morning," Tharja shot back. If there was one thing she was good at, it was lying to other people about Robin. And Robin's family were no exception. "They made her work a double shift."

"I had her booked off the next two weeks. Tell her she needs to phone me so I can pass on her flight details."

"Will do when she wakes up,  _sir_. Though that might not be until this time tomorrow. She'll probably sleep right through the night, and then I'll be at work when she wakes up..."

"Fine, I'll just email her. Tell her to call anyway."

"Of course. Anything else?"

"No. Goodbye."

Validar hung up briskly, leaving Tharja cackling as she handed the phone back to Robin. Robin set it face down on the table with a sigh, sinking in her chair as she attacked more of her vegetables with her fork. All three pairs of eyes were on her, but she ignored them. It wasn't really any of their business, and yet they were all getting involved regardless. Well, by 'they', she meant Tharja.

"You're going back to Plegia?" Henry asked, with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"No I am not," Robin snorted. "He thought it was a good idea to book me two weeks off work for my birthday. Booked me flights too, by the sounds of things. I had to beg Raimi for my shifts back." Henry pulled a face at that- clearly, it wasn't just Robin that had such an opinion on the emergency consultant.

"Can he do that, though? And it went through Raimi?" Henry pressed.

"Well, you know who he is. And what he's like. And trust me; I'm as surprised as you that Raimi even allowed me two weeks off in theory. He told her it was a family emergency."

"Would you, hypothetically, go to his funeral?" Tharja asked.

"I haven't thought about that, funnily enough," Robin spat. She may not like her father, but for one of her friends to openly talk about him dying was another thing. A line that shouldn't be crossed. If they were in Plegia still, Robin was sure Tharja would be arrested for that comment.

"I have no idea what any of you are talking about," Lon'qu eventually said, getting up from his seat and removing everyone's plates from the table.

"Nothing to worry about," Robin laughed weakly, before excusing herself from the table and heading to her room.

* * *

Wallowing in self pity was not something that Robin did often, but today was an exception. She was annoyed at Validar, primarily, but she was annoyed at Tharja too, for interfering where she didn't need to. Robin lay on her bed, phone sitting on her stomach, hands behind her bed, and stayed perfectly still for almost an hour and a half until someone knocked on her door.

"Come in," she called. Henry came in first, followed by Tharja and Lon'qu, who looked as though he'd rather be anywhere else in the world.

"We were thinking," Henry began.

"That sort of sentence always scares me."

"We should go out since it's your birthday."

"We didn't go out for your birthday last month."

"I was working," Henry excused. "And I did celebrate, just not with you."

"Gee, thanks."

"But you have no other friends apart from us-"

"That's not true!"

"Name them," Tharja cut in. Robin hesitated. "Exactly."

"Just let us take you out," Henry said gently. "We know you've been under a lot of stress recently, so this is the least we can do."

"Fine. Fine! You make all the plans though. Just make sure it's somewhere nice." Giving in was easier than arguing more, Robin decided. "I don't know why you all needed to come to tell me that."

"Neither do I," Lon'qu said, already backing out of the room, Tharja following him.

"It was your idea," Robin heard Tharja say, and the white haired woman immediately perked up. She rolled onto her side, eyes closing, and Henry left the room, leaving her to smile alone.

* * *

All dressed up for the night, Robin began to feel a little better. It was amazing what a little coercing from Tharja could do to her self confidence (and a pot of glitter that was sprinkled on her eyelids). They phoned for a taxi to take them to their destination, and when they arrive Robin was relieved to discover that they've taken her to one of the classier establishments in town. She reckoned it was Henry that picked it out, since unlike Tharja, he didn't relish in making other people miserable.

Tharja, however much she enjoyed making fun of Robin, insisted that drinks tonight were on her, and when she and Robin had bright coloured cocktails in hand, they made their way onto the dance floor. Henry and Lon'qu, as had happened so many times before, were abandoned at the bar, the latter making it very clear that he didn't want to be there. He may be friends with Robin (the other two... well, not so much), but that didn't mean he wanted to spend his Saturday night in a club. He ordered a soft drink, much to Tharja's disgust, but she didn't dare complain, since his drink was less than a third of the price of hers.

Robin watched her two male housemates out of the corner of her eye, before Tharja spun her off in another direction. It was hard to dance with a drink in her hand, but she managed to find a balance between dancing and fending off the advances of random men. Her hair colour was something that people found interesting, and felt the need to comment on. Upon sharing these complaints once with Henry, she discovered that he received the same torture for his hair colour. The majority of Plegians had dark hair, but the white hair was interesting to Ylissians. Exotic, she was called once. Needless to say, that admirer was quickly put in his place, and if wasn't for Henry pulling her off the guy, he probably would've ended up in hospital.

"Your phone is ringing," Tharja drawled in Robin's ear.

"I'm ignoring it."

"I don't even think you noticed. Where was your mind?" There was a smirk on Tharja's face, and she pointedly looks around to the bar area.

"Correct, I was thinking about Henry. More specifically, the time he had to pull me off that guy because I nearly broke his nose." She said that loudly, in case anyone around her was getting any ideas.

"You know that's not what I meant," Tharja hissed.

"Really? Enlighten me."

"Stop being difficult and just enjoy yourself."

"I  _am_  enjoying myself." Robin grinned at the dark haired girl, managing to take another sip of her drink while moving.

"Seriously though," Tharja said, dropping her voice to barely above a whisper. "What's up with you and Lon'qu? You two are really weird around each other."

"We are not!"

"Well, it was actually Henry that told me, but I've been keeping an eye out and I have to agree that something is  _definitely_  up with you two."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I will find out, you know."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"You're no fun," Tharja pouted. "Go find Henry for me."

"Gladly."

Robin stalked off the dance floor, drained cocktail in her grasp. She sat in a seat between Henry and Lon'qu, calling over the bartender to make her another drink. A part of her brain wondered why they were sitting so far apart, but didn't question it out loud- both of them were weird in their own ways. Not that she could talk, she thought, but that was another thing that she kept inside her head.

"Tharja told me to send you to her," she mumbled to Henry.

"Why, what did she want?"

"Said I was boring."

"It's your birthday," Henry pointed out.

"And how is that relevant to whether or not I'm boring?"

"She's supposed to put up with you today even if she thinks you're boring."

"Just go and dance with her," Robin laughed, sending him away with a grin on her face. "Not drinking?" She asked Lon'qu, who seems to be content on ignoring her.

"I find it hard to make good decisions when under the influence of alcohol."

"Is this about-"

"No."

"Because if it is, I'm really sorry."

"It's not. "

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he said with an air of finality, and with a sigh, she slid off her chair and headed into the bathrooms, determined to make some new friends there, since Henry laughed at her earlier for having no friends.

And maybe getting Lon'qu off her mind was part of the reason too.

* * *

For the first time in a number of weeks, Robin received a text from her father. She had long given up on her quest to make friends at the club, and was now downing another drink, Lon'qu regarding her out of the corner of his eye. When she occasionally glanced up at him, he looked away, pretending his concern was elsewhere.

"Who's 'dad'?" He asked.

"Who do you think dad is?" She countered.

"Is this the guy who's been phoning you a lot?"

"Yeah. But I'm good at dealing with him, so it's no big deal," she said, waving her hands aggressively, until she smacked his arm.

"How many of these have you had?"

"A few."

"You should go outside and get some fresh air. Maybe answer your texts."

"Fine." Her voice was slightly slurred by this point, and she had long ago lost track of Tharja and Henry in the crowd. Despite it getting later, the club was getting fuller by the minute, people coming in who just didn't want to go home.

* * *

The outside brick wall of the building was somewhere that Robin had admittedly spent a lot of time against, either by herself trying to sober up before going home or with someone else (also before going home). Tonight, she gave in and checked her phone, stomach dropping after reading the text. Her immediate reaction was to look around- was he here? No, he was definitely still in Plegia. She reread the text, in case her inebriated brain interpreted the words wrong.

_Have a fun time out tonight, Robin. Happy birthday. Don't drink too many of the blue cocktails- I've heard they're dangerous._

She had been drinking those blue lagoon cocktails all night, until Lon'qu forced a bottle of water on her and sent her outside. Blue drinks were not at all popular in Ylisstol, and to her knowledge, this was the only bar in town that sold them. So that meant Validar knew where she was, and probably had been tracking her somehow. Despite sober Robin being incredibly smart, drunk Robin was not, and drunk Robin threw her phone against the brick wall, watching as it shattered into pieces, and then stamping on them for good measure. There. That would keep her father off her tail.

Her face was suddenly wet with tears, and she wiped furiously at her cheeks in a vain attempt to dry them. She hadn't even really noticed she was crying, but as she lifted her broken phone parts from the ground and stuffed them into her clutch, she couldn't ignore the dark spots falling on the ground. She decided that maybe she should just head back inside and tell Lon'qu that she wanted to go home, and even if Tharja and Henry weren't ready to go, they could go home and maybe she could cry on him again.

"Need some help there?" A voice said, and Robin looked up to see two dark haired men towering over her. Still unsteady on her feet, and with the heels not helping, she rose to her full height, not too far off their own heights.

"I'm okay," she managed to say. "I'm just going home now." At eye height with them, she could see that they are Plegian, and this set her heart racing.

"You could come home with us."

"I'd rather not."

"Have a boyfriend?" One asked, and Robin shook her head hesitantly. "Then there's nothing tying you down."

"My friends are inside. Housemates."

"And you've never stayed out all night before? C'mon, lighten up."

"No, thank you," Robin said, attempting to make her way around them. The taller of the two grabs her arm, keeping her from moving anywhere. "Let go of me." Her voice is calm and measured, despite the amount of alcohol in her system, the adrenaline from knowing (or at least assuming) that these two were sent to follow her by her father counteracting everything else she feels.

"Nice hair. Very distinctive."

"Don't touch my hair."

"You know who has this hair? The Grima family. You look Plegian, don't suppose you're a relation?"

"Get off her," another voice called from behind them. Robin craned her neck to see Lon'qu standing behind them, Robin's jacket in his hand. She wasn't entirely sure how he got it, but the second the man loosened his grip on her she pushed him off, and all but ran past them to Lon'qu.

"And who are you? She said she didn't have a boyfriend."

"This is one of my housemates," Robin contested.

"What's your name?" The other man asked. "You look familiar."

"Lon'qu."

"Ah. Let's go. This isn't worth our time."

Robin watches them leave, willing the sick feeling in her stomach to leave. Whether it was from her situation or the alcohol, she couldn't quite tell. But just standing beside Lon'qu made her feel safe, and she let out a loud sigh. He handed her the jacket, and she slipped her arms into it, not really noticing the chill in the air before.

"I want to go home right now," she managed to say before she burst into tears again, clinging to Lon'qu's arm.

"Uh- okay. Come inside while I find Henry and tell him we're leaving. I'll phone for a taxi. And- get off me!"

"Lon'qu you are the nicest person I have ever met."

"Okay."

She let go of his arm, but held on to the back of his coat as he pushed through the finally waning crowd of the club. She tried her best to keep her distance from him, knowing that it was for the best for both of them. But when she falls asleep on his shoulder in the taxi home, squished up between Lon'qu and Henry, he can't find it in himself to complain.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only after a while did she realise that she was doing exactly what Henry feared she would do- being weird about it.

Waking up with a hangover was nothing new for Robin, but this one was by far the worst she had. Rolling over in an attempt to get more sleep didn't work, so she succumbed to her suffering and got up. When she finally made it downstairs, Lon'qu was seated at the table. She bid him a 'good morning', and walked past him for a glass of water and painkillers to hopefully stop the pounding in her head. She fell into the seat opposite him, resting her head on the table.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"I could be better."

"Were those men... did you know them?"

"No. But I think my dad sent them to check up on me. They looked Plegian."

"Has he phoned since?"

"I wouldn't know. I uh... smashed my phone. I really shouldn't have done that, because if the hospital calls, I won't know, and I could lose my job."

"What you mean is, can I borrow your phone?"

"You know me so well," Robin managed to grin, and Lon'qu passed the phone across the table to her. She returned a few minutes later to a cup of coffee that he had made for her sitting on a coaster in front of her seat. With a smile, she passed his phone back to him, and took a sip of her coffee, the mug hiding her grin.

"What did they say?"

"That my shifts are as planned, and they won't call me unless there's a huge emergency and they need all hands on deck. Then they'll just send Say'ri round here. And... that I need to get a new phone as soon as possible."

"Makes sense."

"I broke it because I thought my dad was following me through my phone. You know, one of those 'find my phone' apps. He  _did_  give me the phone before, so... I guess it's not totally out of the question."

"Do you think those cars we saw outside were sent by your dad?" Lon'qu questioned, and Robin had to sit in silence for a minute to ponder whether this was true or not.

"It's likely," is the conclusion she came to. "I haven't seen one in a while, though."

"There was one outside last night."

"Really? I don't remember."

"You were asleep," Lon'qu informed her, his face slightly flushed from the memory of her falling asleep on him.

"How did I get in, then?"

"Tharja told me to carry you."

"And... did you?"

"I... I couldn't just leave you in the taxi. And neither of them were in any state to help."

"Well... thanks," she smiled, avoiding looking at him. "And thank you for what you did last night with those guys. You didn't have to do that."

"I didn't want to see you get hurt."

"I  _can_  look after myself, you know."

"You drank at least four cocktails and were wearing heels. I didn't want to take any risks."

"How did you even know I was in trouble? I feel like you're developing a sixth sense for bailing me out."

"You were taking a long time and I figured you'd want to go home so..."

"You're too good, Lon'qu."

* * *

Tharja stormed into the house like a whirlwind, which no one would have particularly noticed if she wasn't carrying a bag full of groceries. She  _never_  did any shopping, not even when it was her turn. Robin, who was still recovering from last night, quirked an eyebrow. She hadn't even noticed Tharja going out. On a Sunday, the woman barely left her room, usually nursing the effects from the night before. But somehow, this week, she managed to shrug off any traces of a hangover. Robin followed her into the kitchen, curious as to what on earth was going on.

"I'm making dinner."

"And you bought your own groceries for that?" Robin pondered, taking a seat at the table.

"Do you have a problem with that, dear? It's your favourite." Tharja pulled various ingredients out of the bag, but no amount of thought could help Robin form them into a meal.

"What's going on? Why are you being so nice?"

"Lon'qu told me about what happened last night, and as your friends, we've all vowed to keep you safe from now on."

"And though I'm grateful for that," Robin sighed, doing her utmost to be polite, "as I told Lon'qu earlier I  _can_  take care of myself."

"And I know that. But it's important to me, to all of us, that we do our best to take care of you too. Because we know you'd do the same for us."

It took Robin a moment to process Tharja's words. It wasn't like her to be so sincere. But she was, and Robin knew deep down that Tharja was telling the truth. And she knew her friends, and knew that this was something that they would do.

"Thank you," she managed to say, turning her head away from her friend so her tears wouldn't show.

"You're welcome. Think nothing of it. And after we eat, I'm going to singlehandedly check this entire house for bugs or cameras or anything else that would suggest that we're under surveillance from inside."

"I highly doubt that. I'm pretty sure the tracker was on my phone, since I was cornered when I was out."

"How would it have got on there? Did you ever leave your phone somewhere?"

"Dad gave it to me," Robin admitted.

"Damn rich kid," Tharja joked in an attempt to lighten what was undeniably a very serious situation. "He sends you phones?"

"Every time a new one comes out."

"Well, that explains that."

"I'll buy a different one now. Different brand, out of my own money."

"You're growing. I'm glad."

"Since he knows where I live," Robin started, but then shook her head. "No. It doesn't matter."

"You want to move out."

* * *

While the house was registered on every official form as Henry's place of residence, his comings and goings could not be explained by anyone else who lived there. When he wasn't working, he was home, so he said, but it was one day when Robin noticed him going into work at the same time as her, and he hadn't been home all day. She raised her eyebrows at him, to which he laughed, and the topic was never brought up again.

It wasn't really any of her business, though it did strike her as odd. Henry had always been the most open out of the three of them, and to see him keeping secrets from the two of them worried her a little. Was it serious? Was he sick, and attending another hospital for treatment? Maybe he'd got onto the wrong side of the law? It took almost two weeks of worrying for Robin to finally learn what was going on with one of her closest childhood friends.

She opened the front door to a knock one late Sunday afternoon to see the receptionist from Lon'qu's school standing just inside the porch. She had on a nice tea dress, and her long brown hair curled down her back. Her makeup was perfect, and she smiled at Robin, with what the doctor presumed was pity on her face. Just home from work, Robin was only one step away from being in her pyjamas, her hair piled atop her head in a messy bun.

"Can I help you? Do you need something?"

"Ah, you're Lon'qu's... friend."

"Yes. And you are...?"

"Sumia. I'm here for dinner? D-did no one tell you?"

"Clearly not. Uh... come in."

Sumia stepped inside the house, wiping her shoes on the doormat that Robin didn't even notice they had. Once they made it to the living room, Henry poked his head out of the kitchen and upon seeing Sumia, all but ran over to her, kissing her on the cheek and inviting her to sit down on the sofas. Robin doesn't fail to notice that he's dressed nicely too, and when she slinked into the kitchen, to her dismay, even Tharja had donned a dress, covered with an apron while she cooked.

"What's going on?" Robin demanded, keeping her voice quiet so as Henry and Sumia couldn't hear her.

"That's Henry's girlfriend."

"I gathered that. What's she doing here?"

"We're having dinner with her. She's never met us before."

"How long have you known about this? Because I've never heard."

"He asked me if I could cook something up on Friday. That's the first I'd learned about it. Apparently they've been dating for over a year."

"What? Why didn't he tell us?"

"Because he thought we'd freak out and be weird about it."

"I have never been weird about a relationship, mine or others, in my life."

"Okay," Tharja laughed. "Go change into something not... ugly. And tell Lon'qu to come down. You have ten minutes, max."

* * *

Before this day, Robin would never have described eating dinner as surreal. Seemingly the only one left completely out of the loop, she sat in silence for the majority of the meal while everyone else made casual chit chat around her. Only after a while did she realise that she was doing exactly what Henry feared she would do- being weird about it. After her epiphany she made more of an effort to join in, even if she was still completely and thoroughly confused by the whole situation. Sumia was a nice person, Robin could give her that. But it was Henry that Robin was annoyed at, keeping the fact that he was in a serious relationship a secret for so long. But being honest, Robin could completely understand- she and Tharja did have a tendency to overreact.

Once Sumia left (apparently she was literally only there for dinner), Tharja sat Henry down and grilled him on every aspect of this relationship. Robin had to suppress a laugh- now it was Tharja that was being weird and overreacting.

"Where did you meet her?"

"Horse riding," Henry answered earnestly.

"You don't even like horses!"

"Well, I like Sumia. One of the nurses at the hospital is friends with her, and when she was showing me pictures of them on a night out she set me up. On a horse riding date. It was pretty romantic, actually."

"I'm glad for you," Lon'qu mentioned flippantly.

"Thanks, Lonky," Henry cooed in response, causing everyone else to roll their eyes at the latest in a series of strange nicknames from Henry.

"But why  _now_?" Robin asked. "You've been a couple for so long, and you only decide to mention that to us now?"

"I'm thinking about asking her to marry me," Henry admitted. Silence followed.

"Well," Tharja said, clearing her throat and turning her gaze to Robin. "I guess you'll be moving out sooner than you think."

"What do you mean? You're moving out?" Lon'qu asked.

"No! I mean... I was thinking about it. Since clearly my dad knows where I live, and it kinda makes me uncomfortable. I've literally only thought about it briefly. I... well. I have the funds to be able to move out, so... but I don't want to leave all of you."

"We're all old enough to do our own thing now," Henry intervened. "Sumia and I have already discussed moving in together, and we've been looking for places. Ad just because we don't live together, doesn't mean that we can't still be friends. We can still see each other frequently."

"He's got a point," Tharja drawled. "I guess... this is the beginning of the end."

"You don't need to make it sound so grim. We have time. Plenty of it!" Robin said.

"She's right! Wedding planning and moving house takes a long time, so even if Sumia says yes-"

"She will."

"-then we're not going to be moving in together for a good while after that. And hey, you three could move in together!"

"I'd really rather not do that. Oh, and if we do move out, we'll have to deal with Maribelle again..." Tharja complained, as if she actually disliked their landlord.

"Maribelle will take over your wedding planning if she learns you're getting engaged. You saw her wedding," Robin warned, but Henry just laughed.

"It was a spectacle. I would greatly appreciate it if she wanted to plan my wedding."

"When are you asking her?" Lon'qu asked.

"Tomorrow, probably," Henry answered nonchalantly.

"Good luck," Tharja chimed in, before swanning off, Henry following her, leaving Robin and Lon'qu standing on opposite sides of the kitchen table.

"Moving out, huh?" He asked. "I guess I'm used to having to move about a lot."

"Don't say it like that," she said, leaning against the chair. "I'm just... worried about my dad, and everything, and if Henry moves out, then we'll have to go anyway. Maribelle will be able to find new tenants. Hey, you could still stay here with Tharja. There's nothing stopping you."

"You're willing to go on your own?"

"It's probably best for everyone. I don't want you, or Henry, or Tharja to be in danger."

"Well, for the record, I agree with Henry. We can still see each other. I think it'd be weird living in Ylisstol and not talking to you. All of you," he corrected hurriedly, staring down at the table.

"Your lifts to and from school are still on the table."

"Maybe I'll learn to drive."

"Then I can be your instructor."

"Thank you, Robin," Lon'qu mumbled, looking straight into her eyes.

"You're welcome," she replied, before taking off as she felt her eyes well up with tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the absence! 
> 
> I have writing commissions open over at teashipping on tumblr if anyone is interested!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I know the owner from the gym."
> 
> "And?"
> 
> "He's... well, you'll see."

"Robin."

"Hm?"

"Robin."

"What?"

"Robin!"

"Lon'qu what the hell are you doing in my room!" Robin half whispered, half screamed at the man hovering beside her bed.

"I did knock," he replied, as if that was an easy solve to the issue. She pulled the covers closer up to her chin, glaring at him to ensure he knew she was angry that he not only invaded her privacy, but did so so early in the morning.

"What do you want?"

"You have the day off work, right?"

"Yes."

"Can we go for a drive?"

"Lon'qu, I've had like..." she paused to lean over the side of the bed and check the clock, "four hours sleep."

"It's important."

"You're going to need to make me coffee now and also buy me coffee on the way, okay?"

"You drive a hard bargain."

"Get out so I can get dressed," Robin mumbled, throwing the duvet off herself and swinging her legs off the side of the bed. Her head was spinning, but hopefully by the time she was dressed, she would be able to drive Lon'qu wherever it's so important he goes.

He was waiting by the door to the living room with two mugs of hot coffee, coat already on, bundled up against the cold winter air. Robin, an expert in coffee drinking for necessity, downed her coffee almost in one go, ditching her mug on the coffee table to wrap up herself- winter coat and hat and scarf that makes her both feel and look like a snowman. Lon'qu finished his own coffee and they pile into her car. Lon'qu wordlessly selected a CD, and turned the volume way down so Robin can concentrate fully on driving.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere in the countryside. Anywhere, really."

"Oh, so this is more of a spiritual thing than anything else."

"I guess so."

"I know a good spot, about an hour outside the city. We can stop about halfway there for coffee."

Robin drove on in silence. Though she complained about being tired, she still managed to have almost faultless driving. Lon'qu quietly played games on his phone, not distracting Robin from the road. They stop in a small village, Lon'qu sticking to his half of the bargain. He left the car, went into the only coffee shop on the main street, and returned five minutes later with two paper cups of takeaway coffee. Robin thanked Lon'qu, and after they're done with their drinks, she drives on again.

Their overall destination wasn't too far on from this village. It seemed to Lon'qu to be some kind of national park, with a huge hill as well as rolling fields beyond. Robin parked in the car park, and the two got out, Robin leading the way up the hill, Lon'qu trudging along behind her. It was another half hour until they reached the top of the hill, but no one else was there, and they didn't meet anyone else on their way up. There was a picnic area at the top of the hill- a few tables and a couple of benches, one of which overlooks the hill in the direction of Ylisstol. That was where they sat, in a comfortable silence until Lon'qu takes the initiative to talk.

"It's an important day for me today," Lon'qu started. Robin turned to him, with the hope of being able to tell what's going on in his head, but as usual, his face remained unreadable.

"Oh?" Is the answer she settled on.

"This is hard for me to say, so please don't interrupt me," he said, glancing to her for confirmation that she will not. When she nodded, he sighed, before starting his story.

"When I lived in Chon'sin, I had a friend named Ke'ri. She and I were inseparable as children- her parents were practically like a foster family to me. Also in Chon'sin were a lot of gangs. The place where we grew up was controlled by one gang, and constantly attacked by another. One night when we were out, they attacked and killed Ke'ri. I did my best to protect her, but my best has never been enough. Her parents blamed me for her death- I was just a homeless boy from the slums and I took their only daughter away from them.

"That's when I ran away. Moved to Ferox, where I trained as a boxer and made something of myself. But there's no way that I can ever forget Ke'ri, and every day I feel immeasurable guilt for not being able to do more to protect her. And the reason I brought you out here is that today is the anniversary of her death, and I didn't want to be alone to commemorate it."

"I'm really sorry to hear about that," Robin sympathised once she was sure he was done. "I had no idea you were going through all of that."

"It was a long time ago. More than fifteen years. So I'm mostly okay now. But because of what happened, I have a hard time letting women get close to me. I don't want to let them down. Because we're friends, I think I owe it to you to tell you about this."

"That's why you jumped in to protect me at the club. You..."

"Didn't want to see what happened to Ke'ri happen to you."

"Well, since you told me a little bit more about yourself, I guess I can share something about my past, too."

"You don't have to do that."

"No, I feel like I should. It'll explain a lot of... everything about me, I guess," Robin laughed, the effect ruined by the shiver from the cold running through her body. "My dad... you can't tell anyone this, okay? My dad is Validar Grima. The president of Plegia."

"That does explain a lot."

"He's very protective. Doesn't appreciate that I left Plegia and refuse to go back. Even though I am an adult and can, in theory, do what I want. Though you've heard a lot of my complaints about him before, especially over the last month or so."

"You should get a restraining order against him."

"I doubt that's something I can do, getting a restraining order against a dictator," Robin laughed, the very idea amusing her.

"If you go to the president here, maybe he can do something about it."

"I doubt that. Plegia is too important an ally to Ylisse to risk offending Validar. I guess I'll just have to ignore him the best I can." Lon'qu nodded in approval- international politics is not something he wants to get involved in, and it had just hit him that he's sitting beside a woman who could potentially be one of the most important players on the world stage. But she's a doctor, and seems more keen to save lives than destroy them in pointless wars like those that have come in the previous centuries between Plegia and Ylisse.

"Thanks for coming out with me today. Even if I did drag you out of bed."

"It was worth it for this... joint therapy session," Robin laughed, and Lon'qu had to chuckle at her comment. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, his gaze still firmly fixed on Ylisstol in the distance. In a moment of bravery, or perhaps madness, she shifted a little closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. When he froze up, she went to move away, but he snaked his arm around her shoulder and kept her there, an embarrassed smile on his face.

* * *

Their walk back down the hill was silent, both content just to be in the other's company. The hour long drive back home was quiet too, with the soft piano sounds of Robin's favourite CD accompanying their journey. Lon'qu was ashamed to note that this had also become his favourite in the past few weeks. Robin didn't drive straight home, instead heading for the centre of town. Lon'qu could tell what was on her mind- froyo. They hadn't had lunch, and it was nearing the time to eat dinner, but she didn't seem to care, parking her car in the street a block along from the store. When they arrived, the shutters were down, and Robin let out a downtrodden sigh.

"I just wanted ice cream after such a long drive."

"Are those facts always connected or is it just a today thing?"

"I could eat ice cream at any time, to be honest, but we'll go with a 'today thing' as you put it."

"We could go somewhere else?" Lon'qu suggested, and Robin spun around to look on the other side of the road.

"How about 'Vaike 'n' Bake'? I've never been in there, but I've heard good things about the food from Emmeryn."

"I know the owner from the gym."

"And?" Robin prompted, looking for more information.

"He's... well, you'll see."

Lon'qu lead the way across the road and into the café, which was one of the few places still open at this time of day. The inside was designed like an old style diner, and the man behind the counter's face lit up when he saw who his latest two customers were.

"Lon'qu, my man! Teach is glad you finally made it!"

"Vaike," was the greeting he received in return, but the other man didn't seem to notice Lon'qu complete lack of enthusiasm.

"And who is this you have with you? Is this Lon'qu's lady? Where have you been hiding her?"

"She's not... it's not like that... what I mean is..."

"We're housemates," Robin intervened, saving Lon'qu from what was about to be a very awkward situation. "My name's Robin. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Teach here is friends with Lon'qu from the gym! We're sparring buddies." Robin looked up at Lon'qu for confirmation of this, but Lon'qu just rolled his eyes. "Anyway! Let me get you menus and seats. We're pretty empty since it's close to closing, but I'll always make an exception for a friend!"

They were seated in the back corner, conveniently where Vaike could keep an eye on them. They ordered ice creams, and when they were delivered to their table by Vaike (with a wink), Robin had to complain under her breath about how it wasn't as good as the place across the street. Lon'qu agreed with her- while the ice cream didn't really have much of a difference, the customer service here was something else. When they're done, Robin noted that they should really get back, so that Tharja doesn't eviscerate them for missing dinner.

"I'll pay. As a thank you for today."

"Are you sure? I have enough money on me."

"I insist."

"I'll go wait in the car, then," Robin gave in with a shrug. The bell above the door rang as she left, alerting Vaike, who had the bill in his hand before Lon'qu could even think to request it.

"Upset your girl?" He teased as Lon'qu made his way to the counter.

"As I said, she's not my girl. She's no one's 'girl'."

"You know, if you're paying..." Vaike started, raising his eyebrows suggestively, "it's a date."

"It's not a date."

"If she's not yours, do you mind if I ask her out? Because Teach knows a fine woman when he sees one."

"Do what you want. I don't think your her type, though."

"What is her type, then? You have insider knowledge, it seems."

"Lawyers. Politicians."

"Oh, so she's seeing someone?"

"Her ex was one of the presidential candidates."

"So she's a gold digger?"

"No! I'd say she's interested in people on her intellectual level."

"So not interested in ex-boxers and primary school teachers?"

"I doubt it."

"Let me get this straight," Vaike said, leaning against the counter as he handed Lon'qu's card back to him. "You like her, but she doesn't like you back? Have you talked about this, or..."

"No. And we're not going to."

"I could see the way she was looking at you, Lon'qu. I think there's something there."

Lon'qu left the café without another word.

* * *

"And where have you two been all day?" Tharja asked when Robin and Lon'qu make their way back inside.

"We went for a drive," Robin answered swiftly, dropping her keys on the kitchen counter before hauling herself atop it to watch Tharja cook.

"Without me and Henry? I'm hurt."

"We would've taken you, if you were awake."

"I got up at nine," Tharja said, pointing the spoon at Robin. With Tharja's attention elsewhere, Lon'qu snuck out of the kitchen. "Which meant the two of you left earlier than that."

"All right, detective," Robin laughed. "We did leave pretty early."

"And where did you go?"

"As I said, a drive. We drove out into the countryside and went for a walk."

"Are you  _sure_  there's nothing between you two?"

"I mean..."

"There is! Tell me  _everything_."

"I don't know!" Robin said, covering her face with her hands. This was really not the sort of conversation that she was looking to have with Tharja, but it was happening, and she was usually so closeted with her feelings, so maybe she should learn to be more open. "I'm not sure what it is. But..."

"You like him," Tharja finished. Despite having some form of feelings for Robin herself, the woman managed to feel genuinely happy for her friend. Robin's face softened every time she talked about the man, so clearly, there was something there.

"I think I do. And I'm really not sure what to do with this information."

"Ask him out? I mean, you two definitely have a vibe. I'm not sure I would call it sexual tension-"

"Tharja!" Robin hissed, as if Lon'qu was still here and would hear her offhanded comment.

"-but it's definitely something."

"And you think if I ask him out, that'll solve this?"

"Well, the worst thing he'll say is no. And then you can just pretend nothing happened and move on with your life. Or do what usually happens when you're rejected or dumped, pine for them and mope about for at least a week."

"It would be awkward between us if he says no, though. I drive him everywhere!"

"I think that's part of the reason why you fell for him in the first place."

"Right..."

"Robin," Tharja said, looking deeper into her friend's eyes, "You don't think he could be... 'the one', do you?" She added air quotes for emphasis, and Robin could only shrug.

"I don't know what to think."


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I've never quite met anyone in my life like you, Robin Grima."

"Are you sure about this, Robin?"

"Positive."

"Because once you do it, there'll be no going back for probably at least a year."

"Just do it, Tharja!"

With final confirmation from Robin, Tharja dunked the other woman's head into the water, and when she surfaced, liberally began to apply dye to her hair. It was Robin's idea, and while no one else agreed with her, nobody had the heart to agree with her about not doing it. Robin's white hair was going to be a thing of the past, and Validar's bloodline with it.

"I don't know why you didn't go mad and dye your hair bright blue, or something. Your hair would take any colour."

"Work policy, I'm afraid. I've always liked the idea of having pink hair, though. Black will look right, though. Matches the Plegian skin tone."

"I just hope you don't regret this in the days to come."

* * *

_2 new messages_

_{Tharja 18:43} If you hurt Robin in any way I will kill you_

_{ Robin 22:15} I'm on my break. Can we meet tomorrow again? I want to talk to you. I won't make you buy me coffee this time. Meet me at the car at 10._

* * *

While Robin set the meeting time a lot later than last time, she still regretted making it in the morning. When her alarm went off, she could hear Lon'qu moving around- at least he was already awake. He hadn't ever replied to her text message, and she was praying that he would just meet her. In all their texts to each other, there was a startling pattern- he would usually not reply, or just reply with one word. Once she heard him go downstairs, she escaped her room, heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

When she made her way downstairs, she passed him in the hallway. He was on his way outside, and the two nodded at each other. She headed into the kitchen, and made coffee. Tharja was sitting at the table, raising her eyebrows at Robin any time she so much as glanced her way. She could tell something was up, but until Robin finished her coffee, she didn't open her mouth.

"Is today the big day, then?"

"What?"

"The interview for the other hospital."

"Oh, I cancelled that. I like where I am enough."

"Why are you all dressed up, then?" Tharja pointed out, regarding her outfit with disgust.

"You think I'm dressed up? "

"You've made an effort."

"I'm just going into town. Half shopping, half meeting with estate agents to find somewhere to live. I know this puts the rest of you in a difficult position, but..."

"We understand. Go enjoy yourself."

Lon'qu was already standing by the car when she finally left, looking thoroughly unimpressed that it took her so long to leave. It was only a few minutes past ten- she was still technically on time. They got into the car in silence, but Robin didn't drive off immediately.

"Is the place we went to last time still okay?"

"Are you going to tell me more of your dark political ties?"

"Something like that," Robin managed to laugh. "Coffee stop is on me, this time."

* * *

By the time they reached the park it was snowing, so they stayed in the car. There was no one else around- while the gates were open, there was no sign of any wardens, and any other visitors had either already left or decided against coming. So it was just the two of them in an empty car park, snow falling around them.

"You said in your text you wanted to talk."

"First of all, I want to ask why you never reply to my texts," Robin accused.

"You sent me an instruction, not a question."

"Right..."

"Are you okay?" He asked, and all she could do in response was sigh.

"I brought you out here because I wanted to tell you that I like you. And it was probably stupid of me to bring you out here to tell you, because if you tell me you don't like me back, which will probably happen, then we'll have to drive back home in awkward silence."

"I never thought I'd hear you describe yourself as stupid," Lon'qu said, his voice surprisingly soft. Robin whipped her head round to look at him, surprised at the tone of his voice.

"I..."

"I've never quite met anyone in my life like you, Robin Grima."

"If you're going to say something, just come out and say it."

"I've... grown quite fond of you." At that, Robin put her head on the steering wheel, covering her face with her hands. "What's wrong? Did I say something out of turn?"

"No, not at all," she mumbled, voice muffled by her hands. "I'm just a little shocked, that's all."

"I don't really have much experience with women, so I don't know where to go from here," Lon'qu admitted.

"Physically, we can go home without the awkward journey that I feared." She lifted her head off the steering wheel, leaning back in the seat. "Gods, I feel like a teenager again."

"I have to admit that I never had any romance as a teenager."

"After what you told me last weekend, I can't blame you."

"There was only Olivia, for about a month. Aside from that, I've struggled to get close to anyone. Apart from you."

"Ah yes. That one time, when we were drunk."

"You know, I probably have had feelings for you since then. I don't think I would've kissed you if I didn't."

"I did always wonder about that."

"And I wondered why you kissed me back."

"Well, now you know," Robin answered, folding her hands in her lap.

"And why you were so keen to wrap your legs around me."

"You really don't need to remind me of that! Since when were you so open about talking about this stuff?"

"Since I had you next to me."

She looked at him incredulously, before bursting into laughter. His laugh was gentle and Robin was so overcome with emotion that she stretched up to him and kissed him. Unlike their first kiss, passionate and rushed, this was slow and gentle. Lon'qu's hand cupped Robin's cheek. Her hands took his free hand, intertwining their fingers. Robin was not sure if she had ever felt anything like this before, and it made her wonder why she had wasted so much time on other romantic endeavours instead of just finding  _this man._

Lon'qu pulled away first, placing his hand over Robin's. His face was unreadable, some sort of emotion that Robin honestly could not figure out. But then he grinned, and Robin laughed again, resting her head on the seat. Sitting in her car had never felt so wonderful, but as Tharja had pointed out before, this was probably where she fell in love with Lon'qu.

Not that she was in love with him.

No.

Definitely not.

"Can we... can we take this slowly?" Lon'qu asked.

"Of course. I haven't been in many... long term relationships myself," Robin confessed. "I'd rather we just figure this out naturally."

"And if I can be selfish, can I ask something else of you?"

"Depends on what you want."

"Don't move out. Not yet. We're going to have to eventually, and I'd rather... see where this goes first. Besides, if it's your father that you're worried about, I am willing to protect you."

"You know I can protect myself?"

"From what Henry's told me about you, I wouldn't want to be on your bad side," Lon'qu laughed, and mock offended, Robin folds her arms and glares at him from the corner of her eye. "What do you say?"

"Fine," she smiled, "I guess I can stay put for now."

"How about I treat you to lunch? A-as a date."

"I'd love that."

* * *

They returned to Vaike's diner- seemingly a tradition for them after heading out to Ylisse's most popular national park. It was still snowing outside when they arrived, and unlike last time, the café was fairy busy, with tables packed full of shoppers drinking hot coffee and sampling the finest of the cakes and biscuits that Vaike made daily. The man himself was behind the counter once again, and his eyes lit up when Lon'qu and Robin walked in.

"There's my favourite not couple!"

"Are we going to tell him?" Robin hissed.

"Definitely not."

"Find a seat anywhere and Teach will serve you personally."

When their food was delivered to them, Vaike made a big deal of announcing to everyone in the vicinity that this was his best friend, Lon'qu, and Lon'qu's not-girlfriend, Robin. Eventually, the two managed to shoo him away, much to the joy and relief of the surrounding customers. While the food at Vaike's place was surprisingly good, the owner himself was a force to be reckoned with.

"By the way," Robin remembered, "I told Tharja I went into town to do shopping today, so our cover story for getting back in will be that I bumped into you in town and offered you a lift home."

"Sounds reasonable. Though wouldn't you need to bring shopping home for that to be believable?"

"Shopping does not always involve actually buying things."

"Women are so strange."

"I can't argue with you on that one."

* * *

Robin didn't get out of the car immediately once she parked outside the house. The street was fairly empty at this point in the afternoon- all the families in the area had gone out for the day, despite the snow. Neither of them moved, knowing that once they left the car, the bubble that was today would pop and going back inside would be just like normal.

"We're not going to tell them right away, are we?" Robin asked, glancing up at Lon'qu.

"No. Please."

"I agree." She grinned at him, and he smiled back, a small twith of the corner of his mouth, but more than enough for her.

"I guess you'll just have to try and keep your hands off me."

"You underestimate my level of self control."

Before she popped the bubble, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol this is short ;; I didn't want to write any more though because it felt enough too???? anyway next chapter is the last one!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And who is this mystery man?"
> 
> "Lon'qu."
> 
> "As in, housemate Lon'qu? Well, you certainly have done well for yourself."

Airports were not one of Lon'qu's favourite places. They were always crowded, unless you managed to get there well before you needed to be. Even this plan had its downfall- it meant Lon'qu had to sit bored for an hour before the airport got horribly busy regardless. The flight board flashed with updates, but he still has to wait, as the incoming Plegian flight was yet to arrive. He was still more than an hour early, he reminded himself, sipping on the coffee he bought for himself.

Lon'qu at least managed to look antisocial. The airport café served good coffee, and though the shop was busy, he managed to find a secluded corner and pull up the newspaper on his phone to read while he waited. Occasionally, someone glanced in his direction, but it ended up with either them turning away or asking if anyone was sitting in the chair, and if there wasn't could they borrow it. Lon'qu was glad he could look antisocial.

He lost the habit of looking up at the board after a while, and eventually, when he looked up again, the café had pretty much emptied, and the flight he had been waiting for to come in had flashed up on the board, near the top. It was dark outside now, and he realised that he'd spent all of his free time on this warm Friday summer evening either at the airport or on the way to it. He sighed.

" _The nine twenty five Goetia Airlines flight GA9538 from Dragon's Table, Plegia, has now landed."_

That was his cue.

He downed the last of his coffee, now cold, and headed out, nodding to the barista, who nodded back. He  _had_  been sitting there a while. Time felt different in the airport.

There was a large group of people crowded around the exit of the gate, the incoming flight's passengers tiredly coming through. Taxi drivers barged their way to the front of the crowd, paper signs with surnames on them for their customers to identify themselves. As people pushed past him, he kept his eyes trained on the exit for a shock of white hair. And then there she was, with a cap on and sunglasses covering her eyes as if she was a celebrity, trailing a purple suitcase behind her and with her handbag in the other hand.

She didn't spot him at first, but when she did, she picked up her pace, making a beeline for him. Not that he was at all difficult to spot- at six foot four, he stood out over the crowd. She lowered her sunglasses and grinned at him as she got closer, until she came to a stop a few steps in front of him. She dropped her suitcase and handbag and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe to do so. While he wasn't really comfortable with the public display of affection, he reminded himself he doesn't know anyone here, and allowed himself this moment of happiness, pulling her in close to him.

"I didn't know you were coming," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"I thought I'd surprise you."

"How'd you get here?"

"Bus."

"Is that how we're getting home?"

"Yep."

"I missed you," she said, pressing a kiss to the corner of his jaw, and retracting herself from his grip.

"It was only two weeks," he pointed out, but when he lifted her suitcase, he smiled down at her. "I missed you too."

"I have so much to tell you. Plegia was wild. I haven't been back in years, so even being there brought back some unpleasant memories. But I didn't see dad, just talked with the lawyers, and I think I managed to get everything sorted out."

"I'm glad. Shall we go home?"

"Definitely. I cannot  _wait_  to sleep in my own bed. And... perhaps you can come with me."

"Robin..." he sighed. This must have been the millionth time they've had this conversation.

"Worth a try," she winked, taking his hand in her own.

* * *

"Once all this paperwork goes though, he's not allowed to contact me anymore. He won't be allowed to fly into the country unless it's approved by the Ylissian government, and if he is here for official business, he gets a police escort at all times." Robin slid the paper across the table for Lon'qu to read. He regarded it briefly, setting the form back down on the table.

"I guess you're relieved, then."

"Definitely. And with a new phone, there's no way he can contact me. It's kinda... weird. Like I know he was awful, but I'll miss him. Sort of."

"I understand."

"At least now I can enjoy my summer without worry of him popping up somewhere."

"You have a lot planned, don't you?" Lon'qu asked, tying his hands in knots.

"We have Henry's wedding in three weeks- I'm amazed it took them so little time to plan. I booked a whole week off for that, so I thought we could spend some time together, since you're off work, and neither of us have a chance to spend time together during term time."

"That'd be nice. I look forward to it."

He stretched across the table to take her hand, squeezing it gently. They were still in the process of taking it slow, mostly because of their house sharing situation. The only chances they ever had to spend time alone were when the house was empty, and with wedding planning in full swing, quite often there were more than just the usual crowd there. Times like these, before Robin went to work, were all they had to themselves, and both Lon'qu and Robin agreed that it wasn't quite enough.

"I had something else I wanted to ask you, but I don't want to infringe on your restraining order celebration," Lon'qu mumbled, his thumb drawing circles on the back of her hand.

"Ask away."

"I was wondering... if you'd be willing to move in with me."

Robin was silent, trying to figure out if he was being serious. The rational part of her knew that Lon'qu wasn't the type of person to joke, nonetheless about such a big step such as moving in together. Another, smaller part of her remembered what he had said in the car all those months ago- he didn't want her to move out so they could see where this went. Which meant that this was something that he'd been thinking about all along.

"If you don't want to, it's okay. I just found some places that I like, but I can't afford on my own, and I thought..."

"I'd love to move in with you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I know it's a really big step, and we've only been going out for six months, but I feel like I'm ready."

"Me too. I think it'll be good for both of us."

"Can we pencil in a date to go to the estate agents? We can do viewings around the houses, and see where to go from there."

"I have a day off on Wednesday?"

"I'll phone up and see what we can do." He got up, but Robin clung steadfastly to his hand.

"You do realise this means we'll have to tell Tharja and Henry?"

"I had considered that fact, yes."

"And?"

"I'm willing to if you are."

"Yes, of course."

* * *

It took Robin almost a week to gear up to talk to Tharja and Henry. Lon'qu didn't seem to care, and it was only now that Robin envied his calm attitude. When she first got to know him, she was annoyed at how blasé he seemed to be. But upon getting to know him better, she learned that he over thought things a lot more than his exterior showed. Sitting across the table from him at dinner, he nodded in confirmation that now was the best time to tell Tharja and Henry what was really going on.

"I have an announcement."

"Oh, good," Tharja said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, did you finally find somewhere to move out to?"

"Yes. Uh... Lon'qu and I are moving out together. We found a house not too far from here that we can afford, and it's really cute, and near both the hospital and his school, so..."

"I don't understand."

"We've been dating for six months," Lon'qu said, filling in the crucial detail that Robin neglected to mention.

"I think that was an important detail to leave out."

"When do you move out?" Henry asked.

"The owners move out at the end of next week, and we're scheduled to move in on the Saturday. Just before the wedding."

"Nice of you to let me know. It's good that I found my own place then, isn't it?" Tharja drawled, rolling her eyes again for good measure.

"You did?"

"An apartment in that new block across the road. It's really fancy, not that I would accept anything else."

"Well, you both know Sumia and I are moving across town, closer to where she lives now. But... we'll still stay in touch."

"Has anyone told Maribelle?" Robin asked, only to be answered by three blank faces. "I'll take that as a no. I'll call her and invite her round."

"Can I ask something?" Henry said, aiming his question at Robin. "Why didn't you tell us about this before?" He gestured vaguely at Robin and Lon'qu, who, as if on cue, flushed bright red.

"Well, we've been taking things slow," Robin excused.

"So slow that you're moving in together after only six months," Tharja pointed out.

"Not that it's any of your business," Lon'qu shot back.

"Well I think you work really well together."

"Thanks, Henry."

* * *

Getting in contact with Maribelle was one thing, but having to prepare for her coming to the house was another. Luckily for them, packing had already started for everyone to move out, so for once, the house was tidy. Lon'qu didn't have many things to pack up, having not really acquired much since moving in, so he offered to make another cake for Maribelle coming round. This time, Tharja watched over him as she sorted the kitchen cupboards and cleaned out the fridge, to make sure there was no mess like last time.

Maribelle arrived in the evening, and as Robin opened the front door to her, the blonde woman's jaw fell open, amazed at how tidy the hallway was. The coats that usually resided on the hangers were all gone- summertime meant that they could be one of the first things to be packed. Maribelle walked in silently, slightly awestruck that she was seeing the house this empty for the first time since everyone else moved in.

"You called me here to tell me that you're moving out, correct?" Maribelle asked as she took a seat on the sofa, of which the cushions had been plumped up and rearranged in a more aesthetically pleasing manner.

"Yeah," Robin said weakly. Everyone else had chickened out of speaking to her, and was residing in their rooms, packing for their imminent departure. Tharja was to go first, at the start of the coming week, and Robin and Lon'qu would go at the end. This also meant Henry was free to leave whenever, since he could stay in Sumia's, or Sumia could stay with him. They weren't moving in together until after the wedding.

"Well, I'm glad you informed me, even if it is a bit late. One of the tenants in my other properties just left without saying anything and I had to go in and clean up their mess!"

"Everything happened really fast. We decided a while back that we were going to move out, but it took some of us this long to find a place. Tharja's going on Tuesday, and I'm going out on Saturday. I reckon Henry will stay here until after the wedding, but he says to feel free to move new tenants in anyways."

"I'll get started on that in the morning. I have no idea why I decided to become a landlord when I have my other job too, but it definitely helped with covering legal costs with... the trial. You know he couldn't work for months."

"I'm just glad Gaius was found not guilty, and they found the guy who did do it."

"We were thinking of suing for defamation, but Gaius decided against it. At least with the rent, we had that extra money to keep us afloat."

"I hope this isn't an inconvenience for you," Robin apologised. Although she knew Maribelle well, it did sound like she was begging them not to go by complaining about her own life. Robin just had to hope that Maribelle was above that.

"Oh darling, not at all! Of course I will be sad to see you go, but you need to move on eventually. Henry's getting married! Tharja and you, I'm not so sure about, but... why aren't you moving in together? Is she too much for you?"

"Well, yes," Robin started, unsure how to approach the situation. "I'm moving in with my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Oh, Robin I knew you were secretive, but this is big!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who's secretive, it's him. He's shy, that's all."

"And who is this mystery man?"

"Lon'qu."

"As in, housemate Lon'qu? Well, you certainly have done well for yourself."

"He made this cake for you."

"Not as good as mine, I might admit, but tasty none the less."

"I'll pass on your compliments."

"And Robin, don't worry about this place. I'll be able to find new tenants in no time. This is a popular area, people will be signing up in droves to live here."

"I hope you're right. I don't want to be awkward about it."

"It's  _fine_ , Robin."

* * *

Lon'qu and Robin stood outside their house for ten minutes in complete silence. The original owner had left their key with the removal men, who had pressed it into Lon'qu's hand after moving all the furniture and boxes of knick-knacks and clothes and books inside. All that was left outside was a potted plant and Robin's piano stool. Neither of them knew where the potted plant came from.

"Are you gonna carry me across the threshold?" Robin joked, looking up at Lon'qu, who stared blankly back at her.

"Aren't you supposed to be married for that?"

"I guess," Robin shrugged.

"Maybe we should get married."

"No!"

"What?"

"I don't mean no as in, no, never, I mean... no, not right now. I thought we were taking this slow?"

"You remind me of that when we're standing outside our house."

"Let's just go in," a flustered Robin deflected, taking Lon'qu by the hand and leading him to the door.

Lon'qu managed not to fumble with the key as he unlocked the door, and once it's open, he takes a rather unceremonious step inside. Robin followed, closing the door behind her. They had been here before, of course, to look around, but now the house was  _theirs_. They lived here. Here, they didn't have to hide their relationship. Not that they truly needed to before, but it kept Tharja and Henry from being nosy.

They poked their head into the living room (small) and the kitchen (large), and the garden out the back (patio, then a small lawn, and a shed). They went upstairs and looked at the bathroom (largely unchanged) and the two guest bedrooms (one of which had a desk in it). The bed from Robin's room was in their bedroom, and while she had no idea how it got out of their old house or into this one, lying down never looked so appealing. Unable to resist temptation, she threw herself onto it, pulling Lon'qu down with her.

"You have to pick a side now," Robin pointed out.

"Which side was your side before?"

"Not gonna lie, I just slept in the middle. And since you would never sleep with me, it's never been an issue before."

Lon'qu got up and moved around to the other side of the bed, laying there for a few moments before turning back to Robin with a soft smile on his face. She shifted a little to lay beside him properly, taking his hand in her own and locking their fingers together. It felt  _right_  to lie like this, with no cares in the world, with no one to disturb them.

"If I sleep on this side, then if anyone comes through the window, I'll be able to protect you."

"That's a morbid way of thinking about things," Robin said with a laugh, but she squeezed his hand, a non verbal confirmation that everything would be alright. "No one will come through the window. This is a nice area."

"You're right. I'm half expecting someone to come to the door and give us dinner and invite us to their church meetings."

"I don't think any middle class Ylissians are going to come to the door of two unmarried immigrants. And we're not even from the same country! How awful," Robin said, putting her hand to her forehead in mock shock. She swung her legs off the edge of the bed, making her way towards the door. "Tea? Then we can get started on unpacking. While we make tea, we can put some of the kitchen stuff away, then I think we can do clothes and make the bed, then-"

"I love you," Lon'qu said suddenly, and when Robin looked over at him, he was smiling at her, cheeks tinted pink. Her heart was warmed with the sight, by his words, and she had only one thing to say in response to his words.

"I love you too."

* * *

Henry's wedding was an experience for everyone involved. Sumia's preppy, pink style met Henry's dark and frankly rather scary style. Henry had joked about releasing crows instead of the traditional Ylissian doves, and everyone who was privy to that plan was more than relieved that this didn't happen. Lon'qu, Robin and Tharja made up the majority of Henry's front row, with Tharja acting as his best man. Robin dreaded her speech later on.

Dressing up for a wedding was not something enjoyable. For Lon'qu, all he had to do was find a suit, though with his height this was easier said than done. Robin tried on millions of dresses until she found the right one, a deep plum chiffon that just scraped her knees. Tharja outdid everyone, particularly Sumia's friends, with a black suit that had glittery lapels. Robin smirked to herself as she and Lon'qu made their way down the aisle to their seats- the pastel colours of the Ylissians on Sumia's side were nothing compared to the overly fashionable Plegians (plus Lon'qu, who, to be fair, was styled by a Plegian).

Lon'qu was in good company at the wedding, with many teachers from the school there, willing to talk to him when Robin was away being Tharja's official instagram photographer. Not that Lon'qu minded- at least he can get along with the majority of his co-workers. That was until Lissa slid into the seat beside him, a drink in her hand and a smile on her face. He had managed to avoid her all day, but when he's alone, she could pounce on him.

"Hey!" She started, and Lon'qu felt the life force drain out of him. "I haven't seen you all day? How are you?"

"Good."

"It's a really nice wedding, isn't it?" Her voice is a little too loud- the disco that Sumia insisted upon isn't even in this room. "You look really good!"

"Uh. Thanks." Looking fervently around the room for an escape, he spotted Robin, returning from outside with Tharja. He made eye contact, and Robin clocked Lissa at his side, talking excitedly to Lon'qu, who wasn't listening. Robin made a beeline for Lon'qu, settling herself in the free seat beside him.

"Tharja wants to get a group picture of all of us from the house," Robin said, coming up with an excuse off the top of her head. Lissa coughed, and Robin, ever the good actress, turned to her, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Robin."

"Oh, you lived with Lon'qu, right?" Lissa said, shaking Robin's hand politely.

"Lived? Live, present tense."

"I thought you all were moving out? That's what Sumia told me!"

"Did you not tell her?" Robin hissed.

"We hadn't told Tharja or Henry when I left for the summer, so no one knows," Lon'qu excused. Robin arched an eyebrow, and Lon'qu sighed, turning back to Lissa. "Robin is my girlfriend. We live together."

"Oh! Okay. Sorry," Lissa apologised, equally to Robin as to Lon'qu.

"No harm done," Robin laughed. "Will we go get that picture?"

"Wait wait wait! Let me take a picture with you two! I've been documenting the whole event, and you two are definitely the second cutest couple here."

After posing for Lissa's photos, the two of them escaped, heading over to where Henry and Tharja were talking amicably with Sumia's parents. They seamlessly joined that conversation, and it was only once Robin got the photo that they realised that the majority of people had already left. Sumia's parents excused themselves, and soon Sumia herself replaced them. The happy couple left too, and Lon'qu and Robin said goodnight to Tharja before leaving themselves.

Their hotel room was fairly small, and Robin had already unpacked their things earlier on in the day. Lon'qu threw his suit jacket on the chair as Robin pulled the clip out of her hair, tossing it on the sideboard. She turned her back to him, and pulled her hair out of the way.

"Unzip me?" He obliged, though his hands were shaking. She slid the dress off her shoulders, and stepped out of it. Lon'qu turned away politely.

"Robin..."

"No need to be scared. Nothing you haven't seen before."

"Not the point."

Robin kicked her shoes off with an audible thump, quickly replacing her dress with pyjamas. She brushed her teeth in the bathroom, and by the time she had removed her makeup, Lon'qu had changed and was already under the covers. She slid in beside him, wriggling her way across the bed until she was in his arms. Robin pressed a kiss to his lips before moving away- summer made it too warm to cuddle for too long.

"Good night!"

"Good night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap! I had so much fun writing these two, and honestly I'm going to miss them! I've reread this chapter about a million times, and I think I'm happy? Writing endings is the hardest thing for me, tbh. Anyway, if you got this far, thanks for reading! :)

**Author's Note:**

> please do not be put off by the Robin/Chrom it's for future plot points bye love yall


End file.
